Hogmanay 2026: New Year’s Eve in Edinburgh

By the ULTIMATE Edinburgh Editorial Team

Fire in the Old Town: the Torchlight Procession and the Night Afore

Hogmanay opens on Tuesday 29 December with the Torchlight Procession, which gathers in the Meadows at 6.30pm and winds through the Old Town behind the Massed Pipes and Drums and the Vikings of Shetland’s South Mainland Up Helly Aa’ Jarl Squad, with fire performers and drummers. Tickets start at £22, with at least one torch for every two walkers; part of each ticket goes to the festival’s charities. It is recommended for ages 12 and over.

Before the procession, the McEwan Hall holds an opening event with Blazin’ Fiddles, pipe bands and the Vikings; afterwards, at 8.30pm, Blazin’ Fiddles play the Opening Concert with Karen Matheson of Capercaillie. New this year, the McEwan Hall is the festival’s club, with Julie Fowlis and her band on Wednesday 30 December at 6pm (from £27.50).

That same evening, Wednesday 30 December, the Fratellis headline the Night Afore Party in West Princes Street Gardens from 6pm, marking twenty years of Costello Music, with Fright Years as guests. Tickets start at £42; it is all standing, and no one under 12 is admitted.

Our advice: if you carry a torch, wrap up and wear gloves; if you would rather watch, the Old Town streets give the best view of the river of flame.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay: Torchlight Procession →   Edinburgh’s Hogmanay: Night Afore Party with the Fratellis →   Edinburgh’s Hogmanay: the McEwan Hall programme →

The bells: the Street Party and Hogmanay in the Gardens

On Thursday 31 December the Street Party fills the city centre from 8pm, with some 45,000 people expected: the Waverley Stage on Waverley Bridge, Scottish music on Castle Street, a mega silent disco on Market Street and a Scottish welcome and ceilidh hour on Princes Street and the Mound. Tickets start at £10 (with a 50p charity donation), and it is for ages 12 and over.

Below the Castle, Hogmanay in the Gardens brings Underworld to West Princes Street Gardens for their Edinburgh Hogmanay debut, with corto.alto and LF System as guests. Doors open at 8pm, the stage goes live at 8.50pm and last entry is 11pm; tickets start at £79. At midnight Underworld play live to the fireworks launched from Edinburgh Castle, with lights, lasers and projections.

A Gardens ticket does not admit you to the Street Party, and there is no re-entry once you leave. You choose a West or South gate when you buy, and it cannot be changed. Under-18s need an adult with them, no one under 12 is admitted, and glass, umbrellas, alcohol and bags larger than A3 are not allowed.

Our advice: buy only from edinburghshogmanay.com, Ticketmaster or Tickets Scotland; the organisers say there is no official resale and tickets from other sites are not valid.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay: Street Party →   Edinburgh’s Hogmanay: Hogmanay in the Gardens with Underworld →

Black tie and tartan: balls, parties and Hogmanay dinners

Prestonfield, below Arthur’s Seat, holds its Hogmanay Ball in its Stables Ballroom: a Champagne reception at 7pm, a four-course dinner, Celtic cabaret, a ceilidh band until midnight, then a disco until carriages at 1am. Dress is black tie or tartan, guests sit at tables of ten, and tickets are £195 per person.

On George Street, the Dome’s Hogmanay is black tie too: dinner guests arrive at 6pm for a three-course meal (dinner tickets were sold out when we checked), and party guests at 9pm (£100), with a DJ, the Dome Casino, close-up magic from Elliot Bibby and a glass of bubbly for the bells, until 1am. It is for over-18s, with photo ID.

For dinner before the bells, The Bonham in the West End serves a welcome glass of fizz and a four-course menu from 6pm to 8pm (£110 per person). Malmaison Edinburgh City on St Andrew Square serves its à la carte in Chez Mal, and offers a Hogmanay stopover with dinner and breakfast from £685 per room.

Our advice: an early dinner in the New Town leaves you a short walk from Princes Street when the Street Party opens.

Prestonfield: Hogmanay Ball 2026 →   The Dome: Hogmanay 2026 →   The Bonham: Christmas and Hogmanay 2026 →

Candlelight and ceilidh on Hogmanay

For a quieter start to the night, St Giles’ Cathedral holds a Candlelit Concert at 6pm on 31 December: the Cathedral Choir and St Giles’ Camerata with young soloists, in Bach, including the Lutheran Mass in F major, and Brahms. Tickets start at £28.50; it is for ages 6 and over.

Later, the Hogmanay Ceilidh Club takes over the McEwan Hall from 9pm, with Hugh MacDiarmid’s Haircut and Teannaich and callers to guide the dances. It is for over-18s, dress is smart, and tickets start at £65, with premium tickets adding a welcome drink, whisky tastings and a midnight toast.

Our advice: the ceilidh is the most Scottish way to bring in the year; you will be taught every dance, so no experience is needed.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay: Candlelit Concert at St Giles’ →   Edinburgh’s Hogmanay: Hogmanay Ceilidh Club →

New Year’s Day 2027: First Footin’ and concerts

On Friday 1 January 2027 the festival ends with First Footin’, a trail of music, ceilidh, comedy and family events across city-centre venues; the 2027 times and venues were still to be published when we checked. At 7.30pm the McEwan Hall hosts Muckle Be The Light, with Edinburgh’s Makar Michael Pedersen, Charlotte Church, Hollie McNish and Gordon Buchanan (from £27.50).

At 3pm the Scottish Chamber Orchestra plays its Viennese New Year at the Usher Hall, with tickets from £17. The night before, on Wednesday 30 December at 7.30pm, the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra plays its Hogmanay-week concert there too.

Our advice: the Loony Dook, the costumed New Year’s Day dip in the Forth at South Queensferry, had no 2027 date on an official page when we checked; we will add it if it is confirmed.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay: Muckle Be The Light →   Usher Hall: SCO Viennese New Year →   Usher Hall: The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra →

Practical: tickets, ages and getting around

Every main event needs a ticket, bought only from edinburghshogmanay.com, Ticketmaster or Tickets Scotland. The big outdoor events admit no one under 12, and under-18s need an adult with them. The Street Party and the Gardens are separate tickets, so choose before you buy.

Our advice: book your hotel and your Hogmanay dinner now, plan to walk, and see our Christmas in Edinburgh page for the markets that run alongside.

Christmas in Edinburgh →

Questions and answers