Edinburgh’s Hogmanay torchlight procession carries torches through the city.
The procession is one of the opening events of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, the city’s annual New Year festival. Participants move through central streets in a dramatic stream of fire, commonly ending at a major gathering point such as Holyrood Park. The event links modern public celebration with older winter fire customs.
Hogmanay is the Scottish word for New Year’s Eve and is not limited to one ceremony. Edinburgh’s program can include concerts, street parties, a concert in Princes Street Gardens, and the torchlight procession. The torch event is therefore a specific part of the wider festival.
Lanterns and candles are plausible alternatives because they are also used in night processions, but the defining object in this Edinburgh event is the hand-held torch. The flames are especially striking against the city’s historic streets and skyline.