Highlights of Hogmanay in Edinburgh

Torchlight Procession

On the 30th December, the Torchlight Procession kicks off  the annual Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations by creating a “river of fire” through the city streets.

It`s a free event, but if you want to carry a torch you can purchase one through buying a torch voucher for £6 in advance or £7 on the night itself*. The money raised by the sale of the torches goes to charity.

Some practical tips

– if you`ve got long hair, use a hairband or hat to cover it. You are walking close together and people are carrying torches

– don`t wear your best clothes as you`ll get wax from the torches on your outerwear

– if you want to make it to the top of the hill (end of the procession) to see the fireworks, make sure you`re at the front. Because this year there were 40000 people, they had to close the hill. But you can still see the fireworks from below.

New Year`s Eve

There were a few events happening on New Year`s Eve, so you have to pick between the Street Party, the Keilidh and/or Concert in the Gardens. I went for a wee bit of dancing at the Keilidh and let me tell you, it`s a lot of fun. Everyone is trying to keep up with the steps.

After that I went to the Concert in the Gardens for some music by The View and headliners the Simple Minds.

Of course when the clock strikes 12 times, everyone wishes you a “Happy New Year”, kisses fly around and the fireworks above the Castle treat you to an amazing show! Everyone bursts out into song and Auld Lang Syne echoes to the arena.

Practical

The Keilidh tickets: £37 + booking fee*

Concert in the Gardens: Enclosure Ticket – £42.50 + booking fee // Gardens Ticket – £37.50 + booking fee*

New Year`s Day

On New Year`s Day, Hogmanay ends its celebrations with a whole day of events. There`s a Dogmanay, a Triathlon, a festival etc. But I decided to go out to South Queensferry for the Loony Dook, an annual mass splash in the River Forth. It all starts with a Parade and the Dookers walking through the town on their way for a New Years plunge.

Off they go!

They say Loony Dook was created by two guys at the pub wanting to do something different for New Years and thought it would be a good way to get rid of their hangovers. It`s not the first idea that was made over beers, check out my trip to Australia for the Darwin Beer Can Regatta.

Practical

To register there`s a £7.00 fee*, but that includes a donation for charity. South Queensferry is located 30 minutes out of Edinburgh.

As you can see, Hogmanay is three days filled with New Years celebrations in the beautiful city of Edinburgh. So if you are looking for a unique way to ring in the New Year, this is where it`s happening. I flew with Skyscanner from Brussels, check out their site to help get you there as well.

*Prices were accurate at time of publishing

This campaign is brought to you by Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and is supported by VisitScotland, ETAG, Edinburgh Festivals, Haggis Adventures and Skyscanner. The campaign bloggers were sourced and managed by iambassador. As always, opinions are my own.