At Edinburgh Hogmanay, the traditional pre-New Year event is a torchlight procession.
The procession is one of the best-known events in Edinburgh’s large Hogmanay programme. Participants carry flaming torches through the city, creating a river of light before the main New Year celebrations. It commonly finishes at or near a major ceremonial site, where the fire is part of a larger spectacle.
Modern Edinburgh Hogmanay developed into an internationally recognized festival with concerts, street parties, and fireworks. The torchlight event draws on Scotland’s wider winter fire traditions, which use flame to mark seasonal change and communal renewal.
Hogmanay itself is Scotland’s word for New Year celebrations. Although “Hogmanay” is often treated as a single party, Edinburgh’s programme includes several distinct events, and the torchlight procession is specifically associated with the evening before the new year begins.