Scotland’s New Year’s Eve celebration, including Edinburgh’s major street festival, is called Hogmanay.
Hogmanay is the Scottish name for New Year’s Eve and the associated celebrations surrounding the arrival of the new year. It can include parties, concerts, torchlight processions, fireworks, and the singing of “Auld Lang Syne,” a song strongly associated with Scottish poet Robert Burns.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is one of the world’s best-known New Year festivals. Modern events commonly feature a torchlight procession, a large street party, and a concert or fireworks display. Program details and venues can change from year to year, but the name applies to the broader Scottish tradition rather than only one event.
A related custom is first-footing: the first person to enter a home after midnight is traditionally thought to influence the household’s luck. Customs vary by region, and Hogmanay is not the same holiday as Burns Night, which commemorates Robert Burns on January 25.