The famous Hogmanay torchlight procession during New Year's Eve celebrations is held in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh's Hogmanay is a large, organized festival centered on the Scottish capital. Its events have included a torchlight procession through the city, outdoor concerts, street celebrations, fireworks, and a midnight gathering near Edinburgh Castle. The precise program can vary by year, but the festival's combination of historic surroundings and public spectacle has made it internationally recognizable.
The torchlight procession traditionally leads thousands of participants through central Edinburgh toward a concluding event. Torch-bearing crowds create a moving line of light against the city's Old Town and New Town landscapes, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage areas.
Edinburgh's celebration is one expression of the broader Scottish Hogmanay tradition. It is not the same event as Scotland's Burns Night, nor is the torchlight procession a universal feature of every Scottish town's New Year's Eve. The capital's festival is a modern organized event built around older customs such as first-footing and the singing of “Auld Lang Syne.”