Edinburgh hosts the Hogmanay street party and fireworks at Edinburgh Castle on New Year's Eve.
Hogmanay is the Scottish word for New Year's Eve and the surrounding celebrations. Edinburgh's modern festival includes a large street party, concerts, a torchlight procession, and fireworks associated with Edinburgh Castle. The castle provides a dramatic backdrop, although event layouts and access arrangements can change from year to year.
The celebration is part of Scotland's distinctive winter holiday traditions. On New Year's Day, many Scots sing “Auld Lang Syne,” a song strongly associated with the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Other customs include first-footing, in which the first visitor to enter a home after midnight is traditionally believed to influence the household's luck.
Hogmanay is not the name of Edinburgh itself or the name of the castle fireworks alone. It refers to the broader Scottish New Year's observance, while Edinburgh is one particularly famous host city. Glasgow and other Scottish communities also hold Hogmanay events.