Edinburgh hosts the annual New Year’s Eve celebration called Hogmanay, with Edinburgh Castle as a major landmark.
Hogmanay is the Scottish term for New Year’s Eve and is also used for Scotland’s wider New Year festivities. Edinburgh’s modern public celebration has included concerts, street gatherings, torchlight events, and fireworks viewed against the castle and city skyline.
The celebration is part of a longer Scottish New Year period that includes New Year’s Day and January 2, traditionally public holidays in Scotland. Customs such as first-footing involve the first person to enter a household after midnight and have varied by region and period.
Edinburgh Hogmanay should not be confused with Burns Night, which honours poet Robert Burns on January 25. Nor is Hogmanay limited to one ceremony: the name can refer to celebrations across Scotland, while Edinburgh hosts one of the largest organized events.