Edinburgh hosts the Hogmanay street party and torchlight procession, two famous Scottish New Year’s Eve events.
Hogmanay is the Scottish name for the final day of the year and the celebrations surrounding it. Edinburgh’s modern festival includes concerts, a large street gathering, and a torchlight procession through the city. The exact program can change from year to year, but the city’s celebration is internationally recognized.
The festival reflects Scotland’s strong traditions of communal singing, music, visiting, and “first-footing,” in which the first person to enter a home after midnight is traditionally expected to bring symbolic gifts such as coal, bread, or whisky.
Edinburgh’s celebration was affected by periods of restriction and cancellation, including public-health measures. Its events are therefore best understood as a modern festival built around older Scottish New Year customs.