Promote Shetland is gearing up for the 2013 Lerwick Up Helly Aa webcast, which will be relayed from the 60 North TV broadcast suite at Mareel for the first time.
Four cameras will be deployed during the annual procession and burning next Tuesday, one in the old library building, one at the Lower Hillhead, one on King Harald Street and one overlooking the George V playing fields.
The images will be broadcast to a global online audience. Since Promote Shetland's first experimental webcast in 2010, which attracted several hundred viewers, it has grown in popularity, with around 2,000 viewers in 2011 and 8,666 viewers last year.
Andy Steven of Promote Shetland said the bandwith would be doubled for this year in anticipation of an even bigger audience.
“Up Helly Aa is a real community event and we enjoy being able to broadcast it via the internet to those unable to get out to see it and to the Shetland disapora.
“This year the website has a new look, with an embedded Twitter feed so you can see what other people are saying about the festival, and it will work just as well on an iPad.”