Edinburgh is home to the large Hogmanay street celebration. Hogmanay is the Scottish word for New Year's Eve, and Edinburgh's festivities have become one of Scotland's most internationally recognized winter events.
The modern celebration includes concerts, processions, fireworks, and a major street party in the city center. Events commonly use landmarks such as Princes Street, Edinburgh Castle, and the Old Town as their setting. The program can vary by year, but the combination of music, public gatherings, and midnight fireworks is central to its identity.
Scottish New Year customs also include first-footing, in which the first person to enter a home after midnight is traditionally expected to bring good fortune. Typical symbolic gifts include shortbread, coal, or whisky. Hogmanay is sometimes treated as simply another name for Christmas, but it is specifically associated with the New Year period and has its own customs and celebrations.