Edinburgh's Hogmanay
Hogmanay Box Office 180 High Street Edinburgh EH1 1QS.
Scotland doesn’t do new year. The last day of the month of December in Scotland is Hogmanay, a world-famous party whose origins date back to bizarre rituals and ceremonies in pagan Scotland. The epicentre of the party these days is Edinburgh, whose street party has grown into one of the world's great spectacles, with crowds of around 80,000 thronging the streets of central Edinburgh. Midnight fireworks above the Castle are the climax of an evening of revelry, with various different stages hosting an impressive line-up of big-name music acts. For 2014 into 2015 big names include Lily Allen and local favourites Twin Atlantic and the Twilight Sad. Each year events are also scheduled for the days either side of Hogmanay, including torchlit processions (you can but a torch to carry), ceilidh dances, film screenings and even a New Year's Day 'dook' – or swim – in the Firth of Forth at South Queensferry. Aberdeen, Stirling and Inverness also have big official parties and ‘first footing’ goes on throughout the country on the biggest night of the year.
