Edinburgh hosts the annual Hogmanay fireworks launched from Edinburgh Castle at midnight.
Hogmanay is Scotland's traditional New Year celebration, and Edinburgh stages one of its most internationally recognized versions. The festivities commonly include concerts, street events, torchlight processions, and a midnight fireworks display viewed from the city center and surrounding streets.
Edinburgh Castle provides the most recognizable backdrop because it stands on Castle Rock above the historic center. The fireworks are part of a larger program rather than the whole meaning of Hogmanay. Other Scottish towns and cities also hold their own Hogmanay celebrations.
The term Hogmanay refers broadly to New Year's Eve and its associated customs in Scotland. These include first-footing, singing “Auld Lang Syne,” and exchanging good wishes. Edinburgh's event is therefore one famous city program within a wider Scottish tradition, not the origin of every Hogmanay custom.