Edinburgh’s Hogmanay

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay

Published on Nov 25, 2015

New years eve at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay

Hogmanay – AKA the last day of the year! If you didn’t know already, the Scotts love a good party and Hogmanay is one of the biggest there is; festivities usually start on the 30th December and start wrapping up around the 2nd of January (but you are also going to want to book off a couple of extra rest days to get rid of that hangover!) The actual origins of Hogmanay are unclear but the tradition is thick in the roots and a fantastic excuse to extend the Christmas holidays into the new year!

It all kicks off with a ginormous torch procession in which 50,000 people participate, marching, dancing singing and shouting from the George IV Bridge to Waterloo Place and Calton Hill. With torch bearers and fireworks setting the city alight, vikings storming the streets and bands setting the scene, this is an event not to be missed! On the 31st Biffy Clyro will then be headlining the Concert In The Gardens and an all Scottish line-up will be rocking West Princes Street! Kicking off “The year of the Bif!” 2016 is looking to be the one to rock! Unfortunately tickets for Concert In The Gardens are now sold out and are unavailable for resale.

Live bands and DJ’s line the street to commence the New Years celebrations and revelers from all over the globe come to party! At midnight Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is then beamed across the world, with the iconic Edinburgh castle being the backdrop to this once in a lifetime event! There are four main stages to this festival playing the best traditional, alternative and party music and this year there’s a brand new stage, extra screens and an even larger arena for the crowd!

January the first brings the Stoats Loony Dook, start new year with a splash and raise some really hard earned cash for charity by taking a dunk in Edinburgh’s River Forth! The tradition has lasted roughly 30 years but this years sponsers, Stoats, are giving away free porridge to warm the hearts (and also the legs, torso, arms and head) of the dookers.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is now the first ever festival to feature on the discovery channel, a solid member of 100 things to do before you die and also in the top 25 world travel experiences! If all this action seems appealing then you can book your tickets on the Hogmanay website and we can even help you find accommodation, from studio apartments to massive mansion houses!

Edinburgh Hogmanay – Street Party 2015 from Edinburgh’s Hogmanay on Vimeo.