Edinburgh holds the annual Hogmanay Torchlight Procession on December 30 as part of its New Year’s celebrations.
The procession is one event in Edinburgh’s multi-day Hogmanay program. Participants carrying flaming torches walk through the city, traditionally creating a river of light toward a closing gathering. The event draws on Scotland’s winter fire and procession traditions while functioning as a modern opening ceremony for the city’s New Year festivities.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations also include concerts, street events, and a major New Year’s Eve gathering. The exact route, capacity, and arrangements can vary from year to year, so the procession should not be treated as an unchanging single-format event.
Hogmanay is the Scottish word for New Year’s Eve or the New Year season. It is broader than the torchlight procession itself. Another Scottish custom, first-footing, involves the first person to enter a home after midnight and is separate from the city’s public torch event.