Edinburgh hosts the annual Hogmanay street party that became a major New Year’s Eve event.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is a large, organized celebration centered on the Scottish capital. Its modern program has included a street party, concerts, fireworks, and a torchlight procession, with events taking place around the city’s historic center. The festivities attract visitors from Scotland and around the world.
“Hogmanay” is the Scottish term for New Year’s Eve and its celebrations. The word’s origin is uncertain, with several proposed Scandinavian, French, and Scots explanations. Scottish New Year customs also include first-footing, in which the first person to enter a home after midnight is traditionally expected to bring symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, or whisky.
Edinburgh’s event is sometimes treated as interchangeable with all Scottish New Year customs, but it is a specific city festival. Its public format expanded in the late twentieth century, while the surrounding traditions have much older roots.