Edinburgh hosts the annual Hogmanay Torchlight Procession, a major New Year's Eve event in Scotland.
The procession is one of the best-known opening events of Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations. Participants carrying torches move through the city toward a central gathering area, creating a large river of light. Its route and exact arrangements can change, but the event is strongly associated with the Scottish capital's international New Year's program.
Edinburgh's Hogmanay includes several distinct events rather than one single ceremony. These have included a large street party, concerts, fireworks, and the torchlight procession. “Hogmanay” is the Scots term for New Year's Eve and its surrounding celebrations, while Edinburgh is the city most closely identified with the modern festival brand.
The procession is not the same as the midnight fireworks or the singing of “Auld Lang Syne”; those are separate elements of the wider celebration.