What is Hogmanay?
Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year and for the celebrations that go with it. Its roots run back to the midwinter feasts of the Norse and the Celts, but its modern weight comes from the Reformation. Scotland's Presbyterian church frowned on Christmas as a Catholic festival, and for centuries the real winter holiday was New Year. Christmas Day did not even become a public holiday in Scotland until the late 1950s, while New Year has two days off to this day.
Plenty of old customs survive in Scottish homes. The most famous is first-footing: the first person to cross your threshold after midnight sets your luck for the year, and they should arrive bearing gifts, a lump of coal for warmth, shortbread or black bun for food, a dram of whisky for cheer. Tradition says a tall, dark-haired visitor brings the best fortune. Houses are cleaned before the bells, debts settled, and the year ends with Robert Burns's "Auld Lang Syne", sung with crossed arms.
Edinburgh turned all of this into one of the world's best-known New Year festivals. Since the 1990s, the city has staged a multi-day program built around a giant street party, with the castle as a backdrop and fireworks timed to the stroke of midnight.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Fairground lights at night during Edinburgh's Hogmanay
Photo by Michel Curi / flickr · CC BY 2.0
What to expect
The program changes in detail from year to year, but its spine stays the same: fire to open, a party to peak, and a gentle landing on New Year's Day.
Dec 29
Torchlight Procession
Thousands of torchbearers carry flames from the Meadows through the Old Town in a river of fire, led by massed pipes and drums and a Viking squad from Shetland's Up Helly Aa. Joining as a torchbearer requires a ticket; watching from the route is free.
Dec 30
The Night Afore
A ticketed concert beneath the castle warms up the city, with a different headliner each year.
Dec 31
The Street Party and the Gardens
Princes Street becomes a ticketed party zone with stages, DJs, street theatre and pipers, while a second ticketed event in Princes Street Gardens beneath the castle changes form from year to year (a headline concert in some years, a dance night in others). At midnight, fireworks launch from the castle ramparts.
Jan 1
First Footin'
A free, unticketed live music trail across the city's venues, plus family activities. Hardy dookers also plunge into the Firth of Forth at South Queensferry for the Loony Dook, a community-run event outside the main program.
Planning your trip
Getting there
Edinburgh is easy to reach by train from London and the rest of Britain (the fastest London services take a little over four hours), and its airport has flights across Europe and beyond, linked to the city by a tram that takes roughly half an hour. Once in town, everything worth seeing is walkable, which is fortunate: roads around the party zone close on the night, and taxis are scarce after midnight.
Where to stay
Hotels charge their highest rates of the year and some impose minimum stays over the New Year. Book early, and consider staying a little outside the center in Leith or near a tram stop so that you can ride home rather than hunt for a taxi.
What it costs
The street party, the Gardens event and the Night Afore concert are ticketed, and tickets go on sale months in advance, with early-bird prices for the quickest; recent street party tickets started from about £33. Carrying a torch costs extra, while watching the procession, the fireworks from a hill and the New Year's Day music trail is free.
Go like you know
- Carry your ticket. Entry to the street party zone is checked, and you cannot re-enter once you leave.
- Eat before you go. Food in the party zone is limited and queues can be long.
- Learn the second verse of "Auld Lang Syne". Almost everyone stops after the first, and singing on gives you instant local credibility.
- On New Year's Day, wander a quiet Old Town in the pale morning light; it is one of the most peaceful mornings of the year.
- If you are invited into a Scottish home after midnight, bring a small gift, shortbread or a bottle, as a first-foot would.
- Chasing fire in other seasons? Lewes Bonfire Night is the English answer on November 5. For a New Year in summer instead, see how Sydney does fireworks at midnight.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a ticket for Edinburgh's Hogmanay?
For the main events, yes. The Princes Street street party, the concert in the gardens and carrying a torch in the procession all require tickets, sold in advance online. Watching the torchlight procession from the street, viewing fireworks from the hills and many New Year's Day events are free.
What is first-footing?
First-footing is the Scottish custom of being the first guest across a threshold after midnight. The "first foot" brings luck for the coming year and traditionally carries symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, black bun or whisky. Tall, dark-haired visitors are said to bring the best fortune.
What happens if the weather is bad?
Organizers monitor conditions closely and will scale back or cancel outdoor events for safety, as happened with high winds in 2024. Check the official channels on the day and the refund policy when you buy. Dress for cold, wind and rain, whatever the forecast says.
Is Hogmanay suitable for families?
The torchlight procession and New Year's Day events are family-friendly. The midnight street party is crowded, loud and late: the organizers admit no one under 12, and under-16s must be with an adult over 18. Families with younger kids often watch the procession, then see the fireworks from a hill or a hotel window.
