Edinburgh holds the Hogmanay street party along Princes Street beneath Edinburgh Castle.
Hogmanay is the Scottish name for New Year’s Eve and the surrounding celebrations. Edinburgh’s modern festival has included a torchlight procession, concerts, a large street party and fireworks viewed against the castle. The exact program, capacity and access rules can change between years, but the city’s central setting is a defining part of its international reputation.
Scottish New Year customs also include first-footing, in which the first person to enter a home after midnight is traditionally expected to bring good fortune. Gifts such as whisky, shortbread or coal have appeared in descriptions of the custom, symbolizing warmth, food or prosperity.
Hogmanay is not simply another name for the fireworks. It refers to the broader Scottish New Year festival, while Edinburgh is its best-known large-scale public setting. The word’s ultimate origin remains debated by historians and linguists.