Edinburgh’s Hogmanay features a torchlight procession through the city before its main New Year celebration.
The festival is one of Scotland’s best-known Hogmanay events and includes a large procession, concerts, street festivities, and a midnight fireworks display. The torchlight procession traditionally moves through central Edinburgh, creating a river of fire that links the modern festival with Scotland’s long association with winter and New Year gatherings.
Edinburgh’s celebration developed into a major organized festival in the late twentieth century. It attracts visitors from Scotland and abroad, while events such as the Street Party and Concert in the Gardens form separate parts of the program. The exact schedule and route can change from year to year.
The event should not be confused with Hogmanay as a whole. Hogmanay is the Scottish word for New Year’s festivities, whereas Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is the named festival held in Scotland’s capital.