What is the name of Edinburgh’s multi-day Scottish New Year celebration featuring a torchlight procession?

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is the Scottish city’s multi-day New Year celebration featuring a torchlight procession.

Hogmanay is the Scots word for New Year’s Eve, and Edinburgh’s organized festival developed into a major public event in the late twentieth century. Its program commonly includes the December 30 Torchlight Procession, concerts and street parties on December 31, and a New Year’s Day event.

The torchlight procession travels through central Edinburgh toward a ceremonial gathering, linking modern festivities with Scotland’s winter fire traditions. Events and routes can change from year to year, so the festival’s exact lineup is not fixed.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay should not be confused with Burns Night, which honors poet Robert Burns on January 25. It is also distinct from smaller Hogmanay customs practiced throughout Scotland, including first-footing visits after midnight.