Edinburgh New Year Breaks
The Edinburgh New Year celebrations are some of the most famous in the world…and rightly so, with events and entertainment for all the family. There are also plenty of places to choose from if you intend to club the New Year in. To avoid missing any of the action, book a New Year break in Edinburgh – get in early though, as hotels get booked up quickly.
The 2008 hogmanay festival went on for 4 days from 29 December to 1 January 2009. The hogmanay 2009 dates are not known yet, but we'll update the page as soon as we find out. In the meantime we've given you details below of what happened last year to give you an idea of what to expect.
Torchlight Procession, Edinburgh
The New Year party in Edinburgh kicks off with the Torchlight Procession on the 29th. After dark 20,000 or so people take traditional torches (buy a torch voucher beforehand to get the best price) and make their way through the streets of the Old Town, along Princes Street, then up to Calton Hill. In the 2008 procession Norsemen dragged a Viking warship along the route as Scottish pipers and drummers kept time. The warship was then burnt on a bonfire on the hill, and the night was topped off by a fireworks display.*
Night Afore Celebrations, Edinburgh
Top of the Edinburgh New Year family events list over the past few years have been the Night Afore celebrations. Based mainly around George Street, this party on the 30th December has historically been more family-orientated than the Princes Street party on the 31st.* As yet no details are available of this year’s event, but there is usually Scottish dancing to get your toes tapping. Organisers of previous Night Afore festivals have also tried to create the world’s biggest Strip the Willow dance.
Edinburgh Hogmanay Party, Princes Street, New Year’s Eve
The highlight of New Year’s Eve in Edinburgh is undoubtedly the huge hogmanay party. After nightfall the party gets into swing with various theatre stages and street performers around the city providing the initial entertainment. Princes Street is the focal point of all the fun, with around 100,000 people enjoying the 3 live music stages and 2 giant screens in the vicinity. You need to buy Princes Street tickets in advance though, so make sure you get them early. In East Princes Street Gardens one of the 2009 stages was graced by local boy Paolo Nutini.
Midnight at New Year, Edinburgh
The Edinburgh hogmanay celebrations build up throughout the evening, but it's midnight that everyone is waiting for, when masses of fireworks are let off from near Edinburgh Castle and various other points around the city. The air then rings to the tune of thousands of people singing Auld Lang Syne. In Scotland the arm-crossing tradition is only for the last verse though, so don’t get caught out!*
New Year's Day in Edinburgh
If you can make it up in time on New Year’s Day, Edinburgh hosts a triathlon and kids’ duathlon around the city’s streets. If that’s a bit too early for you, why not stick around until the evening. New to the festivities in 2008 was a number of evening outdoor performances by Scottish artists – the ideal way to round off the New Year break.*
Top Destinations
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