Edinburgh hosts the Hogmanay torchlight procession that traditionally begins Scotland's major New Year's festival.
The Edinburgh Hogmanay program commonly opens with a large torchlight procession through the city. Participants carry flaming torches along a route toward the city center, creating a river of light beneath Edinburgh's historic skyline. The event connects modern public festivities with older winter fire customs, although its present organization is contemporary.
Edinburgh's wider Hogmanay program has included concerts, a street party, a midnight fireworks display, and events around Princes Street and the city's Old Town. Exact schedules, routes, and ticket arrangements can change from year to year, so the procession should not be treated as an identical annual program.
Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee also celebrate Hogmanay, but Edinburgh's torchlight procession is the best-known opening event associated with Scotland's largest internationally marketed New Year's festival.