Edinburgh hosts the famous Hogmanay street party each New Year’s Eve.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is a large, multi-day celebration centered on the Scottish capital’s historic city center. Its events have included a torchlight procession, concerts, a major street party, and fireworks viewed from Princes Street and nearby areas. The word “Hogmanay” is the traditional Scottish term for New Year’s celebrations.
The modern festival developed into a major organized public event in the late twentieth century, although Scotland has much older New Year customs. One famous tradition is “first-footing,” in which the first person to enter a home after midnight is expected to bring good fortune.
Hogmanay is sometimes confused with Christmas celebrations, but it is specifically associated with the transition from 31 December to 1 January. Edinburgh’s setting beneath Edinburgh Castle gives the celebration a particularly distinctive backdrop.