Edinburgh hosts the annual Hogmanay torchlight procession that traditionally helps begin its New Year’s celebrations.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is a multi-day festival centered on New Year customs in Scotland. A major torchlight procession typically passes through the city before the main celebrations, creating a moving river of fire that connects the Old Town and city-center festivities.
The festival also includes a large street party, live music, and a midnight fireworks display. Events and routes can change, and some editions have been canceled or altered because of weather, safety concerns, or public-health restrictions.
Hogmanay is the Scots word for New Year’s Eve, but Edinburgh’s event is a specific large-scale festival rather than the name of every Scottish New Year custom. Scottish traditions associated with the season also include first-footing and singing “Auld Lang Syne.”