Edinburgh hosts the large New Year's Eve festival known as Hogmanay.
Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of New Year's Eve, and Edinburgh stages one of its best-known public versions. The festival commonly includes a torchlight procession, outdoor concerts, a street party, and fireworks near Edinburgh Castle, although the precise program can change from year to year. Large events have sometimes been canceled or restricted because of weather, safety, or public-health concerns.
The word Hogmanay has uncertain origins. Proposed explanations connect it with Scots, French, Norse, and Gaelic influences, but no single etymology is universally accepted. The celebration incorporates older Scottish customs, including first-footing, in which the first person to enter a home after midnight is traditionally expected to bring good fortune.
Edinburgh's festival is not the only Hogmanay event in Scotland. Communities across the country mark the occasion with local gatherings, music, food, and fireworks. The capital's version became especially internationally prominent because of its large scale and historic setting.