The city most famously associated with the New Year's Eve celebration called Hogmanay is Edinburgh.
Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of the last day of the year, and Edinburgh hosts one of the world’s largest and best-known public versions. The modern festival includes a torchlight procession, concerts, street events, and a large midnight fireworks display near Edinburgh Castle.
The term is Scottish, but its exact origin is uncertain. Several theories connect it with medieval French, Norse, Gaelic, or Scots traditions. The celebration’s distinctive customs developed from Scotland’s New Year practices, including visiting friends and relatives just after midnight.
Edinburgh’s festival is not simply another name for the Times Square celebration or for Christmas. Traditional “first-footing” holds that the first person to enter a home after midnight can influence the household’s luck. Whisky, shortbread, and other gifts may be carried, although modern celebrations vary considerably.