The Hogmanay torchlight procession traditionally takes place in Edinburgh before its New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is a major winter festival featuring concerts, street celebrations, fireworks, and a torchlight procession through the city. Participants carry flaming torches along a route that has typically connected the Old Town with Calton Hill or another central finishing area, depending on the year’s arrangements.
The procession draws on fire festivals and seasonal customs associated with Scotland and northern Europe. Modern Edinburgh’s event was developed as a large organized celebration in the late twentieth century, turning local New Year traditions into an internationally known festival.
Hogmanay is the Scottish term for New Year’s Eve, but Edinburgh’s event is only one expression of the broader tradition. The torchlight procession is also separate from the midnight fireworks and from the singing of “Auld Lang Syne,” which is common at New Year celebrations in many countries.