The Scottish New Year Celebration you can’t miss!

Looking for a truly unique and fun New Year’s Eve celebration in Europe? Hop on over to Scotland for Hogmanay!

A funny name, but serious celebrations in Scotland. Each year, Edinburgh holds the largest and most happening of Hogmanay celebrations with three days of dancing, concerts, and fireworks. The city is buzzing for days before the party as tens of thousands of visitors descend upon beautiful Edinburgh.

bradynicola19october2016-hogmanay1Kick off the celebrations with a torchlight procession! Do you love running through the streets, half clothed like a Viking during the Scottish winter? Perfect, the Hogmanay torchlight procession is just for you. Thousands of locals and visitors alike dress up and carry torches through the streets of Edinburgh to create a “river of fire”, culminating in the lighting of a beautiful bonfire and lights show. If you’re not down to don a costume and get in some cardio by candlelight, grab a cup of tea and line the streets to watch. After the procession, catch the “Night Afore Concert” in the West Princes Street Gardens, or ride a few carnival rides and sip spiced cider at the Christmas Market.

bradynicola19october2016-hogmanay4Concerts, fireworks, and 200,000 new friends from around the world. On New Year’s Eve, grab a steaming plate of haggis, wash it down with a dram of Scotch whisky, and bundle up in your wool scarf! Hours of concerts, dancing, street food vendors, and mixing and mingling with festival lovers from around the world is your agenda for the night. With multiple music stages set up each year, it’s easy to find the right tunes to rock your night. In past years, Hogmanay has hosted up to 400,000 party go-ers, but more recent years the big night has been scaled back to about 200,000. You’re sure to link arms and sing Auld Lang Syne at midnight with someone from a different country. Fireworks start at 9pm and continue hourly until the incredibly impressive “Midnight Moment” pyrotechnics show above the scenic Edinburgh Castle.

bradynicola19october2016-hogmanay2And if you still haven’t had your fill of fun… spend your first day of the New Year dancing and dunking yourself in a freezing river! Thousands of participants march down High Street and take a “Loony Dook” in the River Forth. It’s sure to sober you up, and raises money for local charities, too! In the evening, cap off your celebrations with “The Final Fling”- an evening of dancing to live music at the National Museum of Scotland.

 

 

A few more reasons to have a ball at Hogmanay:

  • Edinburgh is a great trip! Castles, shopping, palaces, hiking, whisky, historical sights, bagpipe music, scenic landscape, cozy pubs, and traditional British breakfasts… just to name a few!
  • Ladies, no suffocating and itchy sequin tube dresses necessary! Bundle up in boots, jeans, sweaters, and scarves and don’t worry about packing your Spanx for this one.
  • BYOB: The U.K. isn’t always known for being budget friendly, so BYOB status at the street party and main festival is a plus. No glass allowed, and the cut off per container is 500ml so plan ahead with your packaging.
  • If flights are looking pricey, consider flying to Glasgow, and taking the train to Edinburgh. This option is often more affordable!

Book it now:

Tickets: https://edinburghshogmanay.com/buy-tickets

Event website: https://edinburghshogmanay.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/edinburghshogmanay

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