What New Year's Eve parade in Edinburgh features thousands carrying flaming torches?

The Edinburgh New Year's Eve parade featuring thousands carrying flaming torches is Edinburgh's Torchlight Procession.

The procession is part of Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations. Participants walk through the city carrying torches, creating a river of fire through streets near the historic centre. The event commonly ends at or near Holyrood Park, where the torches form a large visual display.

The modern procession developed from Edinburgh's Hogmanay programming and draws on older Scottish fire and winter traditions. It is a spectacular opening event rather than the midnight countdown itself. Edinburgh also stages a major street party and concerts during the same New Year period.

The name can cause confusion because Hogmanay describes the wider Scottish New Year's festival, while the Torchlight Procession is one specific event within Edinburgh's programme. Routes, dates, and operational details can change from year to year, but the defining feature remains the communal torchlit march.