It's hard to imagine, but 20 years ago a flock of celebrities descended on Western Harbour for the MTV Europe Music Awards.
Among them was Beyoncé, and she enjoyed her time in Edinburgh so much that she's decided to come back - two decades later. Much has changed since she last performed here, her bank account has likely gained a couple of 0's and low rise jeans are definitely not in vogue anymore.
At the time, music fans lined the streets hoping to grab tickets for the event. Previously, tickets had only been available to buy over a telephone hotline (practically a vintage concept at this point) and had sold out within 14 minutes.
READ MORE - Remembering when ex-Edinburgh football casuals met Danny Dyer for hit TV series
Though for some lucky Edinburgh students, their spot was already secured - having been hired to take the place of some of the stars. To ensure the audience is always looking filled, stand-ins are on hold to pop themselves in the seats of celebs when they need to nip to the loo or run to the bar.
MTV brought in the students to swap in for the A-listers at the event. Sources from MTV said that the stand-ins were required for the benefit of TV viewers, and avoided any empty seats being seen on camera.
A big top arena with a 6,000 capacity was built for the awards ceremony outside Ocean Terminal, which at the time was a flashy and exciting addition. These days, the building is set to be partially demolished as part of a new plan to transform the Leith Docks.
The ceremony was broadcast live, to an estimated audience of a billion people worldwide. Justin Timberlake dominated the awards, walking away with awards for best, best male and best pop act.
Sign up to our Edinburgh Live nostalgia newsletters for more local history and heritage content straight to your inbox
Collecting his third award, he told crowds: “This is my first time in Scotland and I just want to say thank you. You don’t get nicer than you people.”
Other wins included Sean Paul for best new act, with Eminem grabbing the best hip hop artist award, and Coldplay winning best group. Around 700 journalists descended on Western Harbour to capture the event.
Beyoncé wowed crowds with a performance of Baby Boy (which still holds up 20 years later), before being joined by Jay-Z on stage for a rendition of Crazy in Love. Having just released her first solo album, the now 41-year-old scooped up two awards - one for Best Choreography in a Video and Best Female Video, both for Crazy in Love.
Fast forward 20 years and Edinburgh residents will once again get the opportunity to see her, this time at Murrayfield. The announcement was made on Wednesday afternoon, with tickets on sale at 10am on Tuesday, February 6.
READ NEXT:
When an Edinburgh resident accidentally stumbled upon secret vault hidden under pub
Remembering when ex-Edinburgh football casuals met Danny Dyer for hit TV series
The Edinburgh fire locals in working class neighbourhood thought was a plane crash
The lost Edinburgh scheme pub so rough they had to sell beer in plastic cups
Edinburgh footage shows reality of life on one of city's most deprived council estates
