The famous Hogmanay street party is held in Edinburgh each New Year’s Eve.
Hogmanay is the Scottish word for New Year’s Eve and also describes Scotland’s wider New Year celebrations. Edinburgh’s modern festival grew into a major public event featuring concerts, torchlight processions, fireworks, and gatherings along the city’s central streets. The best-known street celebration takes place around Princes Street and the surrounding city centre.
Scottish Hogmanay customs include “first-footing,” in which the first person to enter a home after midnight is believed to influence the household’s luck for the coming year. Traditional gifts can include whisky, shortbread, coal, or salt. The song “Auld Lang Syne” is also strongly associated with Scottish New Year celebrations.
Edinburgh’s event is sometimes confused with Hogmanay celebrations throughout Scotland. Hogmanay is not the name of one single venue or city festival; it is the national Scottish New Year tradition, of which Edinburgh hosts the most internationally recognized street party.