The Loony Dook is a New Year’s Day event associated with Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations.
Participants, many wearing costumes, parade through South Queensferry and plunge into the cold waters of the Firth of Forth. The event takes place on January 1, not on New Year’s Eve itself, and is presented as a humorous and bracing way to begin the year.
The word “dook” is a Scots form related to “duck,” referring to the plunge into water. South Queensferry lies west of central Edinburgh beneath the Forth Bridge, giving the event a distinctive setting separate from the city’s main Hogmanay street party.
Because the Loony Dook follows the midnight celebrations, it is often described as part of Edinburgh’s wider Hogmanay program. It is not the same event as the torchlight procession or the midnight fireworks, though all are connected within the city’s New Year calendar.