Edinburgh's Hogmanay

The four days

Edinburgh's Hogmanay runs from 29 December 2026 to 1 January 2027. Edinburgh.org calls Hogmanay the most important Scottish holiday and dates the festival to 1993. It spreads over four days, but only two of them need a plan: the Torchlight Procession on the 29th and the Street Party on the 31st.

The Torchlight Procession opens the festival on Tuesday 29 December. It starts at the Meadows and winds through the Old Town, led by pipers, drummers and the guizers of Shetland's Up Helly Aa, with street theatre and fire performers along the way. Watching is free; carrying a torch is ticketed.

The 30th is the Night Afore. The Fratellis are the announced headliners of the Night Afore Party, and Edinburgh.org lists a Night Afore concert at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens.

On the 31st the Street Party starts at 8pm on Princes Street. The Concert in the Gardens, a ticketed concert below the castle, and a candlelit concert at St Giles' Cathedral happen the same evening. On New Year's Day the programme is free: the First Footin' trail, Sprogmanay for families, and a family ceilidh.

The Street Party and midnight

The Street Party fills Princes Street and the city center with live music, DJs and street theatre from 8pm, and ends with the Midnight Moment, the fireworks fired from Edinburgh Castle and broadcast on television around the world. Edinburgh.org says it welcomes 45,000 people. You need a ticket to be inside it, and the organiser sells them at edwinterfest.com. Buy there and not from a reseller.

The Concert in the Gardens is the ticketed concert below the castle, billed as the last gig of the year and the first of the next. Past performers include Paolo Nutini, Pet Shop Boys, Pulp and Wet Leg. The organiser said the 2026 details would be announced later this year, so a headliner named elsewhere is not confirmed until it appears on edwinterfest.com.

Free options

You can watch the midnight fireworks without a Street Party ticket. Edinburgh Tourism Action Group names Calton Hill as the best free view, with panoramas of the city, and also lists Inverleith Park and Salisbury Crags as distant views and the West End for a limited view of the castle. Arrive early, as these are public places.

The rest of the free programme is on 1 January. First Footin' is a trail of live music, cultural talks and family activities at landmark buildings, pubs and cafés across the city center, and it needs no ticket. The Loony Dook, a fancy-dress swim, is at South Queensferry. Local volunteers run it, and it is not part of the official programme.

Getting there

Waverley station sits beside Princes Street and Haymarket station is at its west end. The tram line runs from Edinburgh Airport through Haymarket, the West End, Princes Street and St Andrew Square to Leith and Newhaven. Late-night transport arrangements for Hogmanay are announced close to the date, so check the operators on the 31st before you rely on a late train or tram.

Where to sleep

Sleep close to the festival. The New Town streets behind Princes Street put you a short walk from the Street Party gates, and the Old Town sits on the torchlight route. Haymarket has the rail and tram interchange. Leith is on the tram line, a short ride from Princes Street. Edinburgh Tourism Action Group warns that prices rise sharply over Hogmanay, so book early.

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Cold weather

Edinburgh Tourism Action Group gives an average of 4 to 6°C over Hogmanay and advises waterproof boots and layers. The Street Party is outdoors from 8pm until after midnight, and the Old Town cobbles can be hard going.