Edinburgh's Hogmanay

The annual Hogmanay celebration was originally an informal street party focused on the Tron Kirk in the High Street of the Old Town. Since 1993, it has been officially organised with the focus moved to Princes Street. In 1996, over 300,000 people attended, leading to ticketing of the main street party in later years up to a limit of 100,000 tickets.[1]

In 2003–2004, most of the organised events were cancelled at short notice due to very high winds. Similarly, the 2006–2007 celebrations in Edinburgh were cancelled on the day, again due to high winds and heavy rain.[2] And again in 2020–21 on grounds of COVID-19 pandemic.

Hogmanay is the Scots word for New Year's Eve. In Scotland, New Year's (Hogmanay) is celebrated with several different customs, such as First-Footing, which involves friends or family members going to each other's houses with a gift of whisky and sometimes a lump of coal.

In Edinburgh, it now covers four days of processions, concerts and fireworks, with the street party beginning on Hogmanay. Alternative tickets are available for entrance into the Princes Street Gardens concert and Céilidh, where well-known artists perform and ticket holders can participate in traditional Scottish céilidh dancing.[3] On New Year's Day the celebrations continue with the Stoats Loony Dook parade.[4]

The Edinburgh Hogmanay celebrations are among the largest in the world. Celebrations in Edinburgh in 1996–97 were recognised by the Guinness Book of Records at the world's largest New Year party, with approximately 400,000 people in attendance. Numbers have since been restricted due to safety concerns.

New Year's fireworks in front of the One O'Clock Gun

Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, hosts one of the world's most famous New Year celebrations. The celebration is focused on a major street party along Princes Street. The cannon is fired at Edinburgh Castle at the stroke of midnight, followed by a large fireworks display. Edinburgh hosts a festival of four or five days, beginning on 28 December, and lasting until New Year's Day or 2 January, which is also a bank holiday in Scotland.

Other cities across Scotland, such as Aberdeen, Glasgow and Stirling have large organised celebrations too, including fireworks at midnight.

BBC Scotland broadcast the celebrations in Edinburgh to a Scottish audience, with the celebrations also screened across the world. STV covers both worldwide New Year celebrations, and details of events happening around Scotland.[5]

• Christmas in Scotland

• Edinburgh's Hogmanay official website
• Hogmanay.net
• "The Origins, History and Traditions of Hogmanay", The British Newspaper Archive, 31 December 2012
• Hogmanay Traditional Bonfire