Edinburgh hosts the annual Hogmanay street party and torchlight procession in Scotland.
Hogmanay is the Scottish term for New Year's Eve and the surrounding celebrations. Edinburgh's modern festivities include a major street party, concerts, a torchlight procession, and midnight fireworks, although the exact program can change from year to year. The torchlight event traditionally moves through central Edinburgh toward a concluding gathering.
The celebration combines modern event production with older Scottish customs. Singing Auld Lang Syne at midnight, visiting friends and family, and the “first-footing” tradition are all associated with Scottish New Year. In first-footing, the first person to enter a home after midnight may bring symbolic gifts such as coal, bread, salt, or whisky.
Hogmanay is not simply another name for Edinburgh's street party: it refers broadly to Scottish New Year's Eve celebrations. Edinburgh is its most internationally recognized host city, while communities throughout Scotland mark Hogmanay in their own ways.