9 Reasons Why Hogmanay in Edinburgh is the Best!

Whether you call it New Year’s Eve, Hogmanay, or Auld Years Night, Edinburgh is the place to be to celebrate it! From Edinburgh’s renowned Street Party to a serene Candlelit Concert, Edinburgh comes alive with celebrations, fireworks, and parties. Below you’ll find our curated list of events happening on Hogmanay and New Year’s Day, which we’re very sure will entice you to experience Hogmanay in Edinburgh for yourself. If that’s the case, we still have a few wonderful homes available over the New Year period, click here to browse for yourself.

1. Torchlight Procession

• When: 30th of December
• Where: Edinburgh City Centre
• Website: www.edinburghshogmanay.com/whats-on/torchlight-procession

As in previous years, the 2019 Torchlight Procession opens Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations. The Torchlight Procession has previously been referred to as the “river of fire”, due to the effect it creates. Last year, around 30,000 people come out for the event. This year, upon arrival at Holyrood Park, torchbearers will form the outline of two people shaking hands.

2. Prestonfield Hogmanay Ball

• When: 31st of December
• Where: Prestonfield House
• Website: www.prestonfield.com/HogmanayBall

Fancy celebrating the New Year in grandeur? Well, the Prestonfield Hogmanay Ball may be the perfect event for you. The ball will be held at Prestonfield’s Stables Ballroom, include a Champagne reception and a decadent four-course dinner, while a ceilidh band keeps you dancing all night, followed by a disco after midnight. But, be sure to book early!

3. Concert in the Gardens

• When: 31st of December
• Where: West Princes Street Gardens
• Website: www.edinburghshogmanay.com/concert-in-the-gardens

Over the years, the Concert in the Gardens has seen various famous faces grace its stage as the headline act, and this year DJ Rudimental will be joining Mark Ronson, Grammy and Oscar Winner, for a magical performance. Mark Ronson will also reveal a midnight track choreographed to the midnight fireworks!

4. Street Party

• When: 31st of December
• Where: Edinburgh City Centre
• Website: www.edinburghshogmanay.com/street-party

See in the New Year at one of the best street parties in the world. Edinburgh invites the world to share the love, embrace friends and celebrate the New Year in the home of Hogmanay. Party all night under the stars at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party hosted by Johnnie Walker, with every reveller receiving a free dram of Johnnie Walker Whisky to ring in the New Year and toast 2020 in style!

5. Candlelit Concert

• When: 31st of December
• Where: St Giles Cathedral
• Website: www.edinburghshogmanay.com/whats-on/candlelit-concert

This is a magical event you will not want to miss! This year’s concert celebrates Christmas and the New Year with the first and last cantatas from J.S.Bach’s Christmas Oratorio taking centre stage in the programme featuring Bach at his most exuberant.  The Baroque theme continues with Antonio Vivaldi’s sparkling setting of Dixit Dominus.

St Giles’ Cathedral Choir, directed by Michael Harris, with the St Giles’ Camerata, leader Angus Ramsay, are joined by a stunning array of talented young soloists.

6. Ceilidh Under the Castle

• When: 31st of December
• Where: West Princes Street Gardens
• Website: www.edinburghshogmanay.com/ceilidh-under-the-castle

At the foot of Castle Rock, in the shadow of Edinburgh’s iconic castle, dance the night away at a traditional Scottish ceilidh. Join hands with old friends and new to dance in the New Year with a full ceilidh band and plenty of local food and drink to keep you spinning all night.

7. Loony Dook

• When: 1st of January 2019
• Where: South Queensferry
• Website: www.edinburghshogmanay.com/whats-on/loony-dook

An albeit odd but fun post-Hogmanay tradition, the Loony Dook began on the 1st of January 1987 and has been going strong ever since. The Loony Dook consists of dressing up and running into the waters of the Firth of Forth to raise money for charity. So, get 2020 off to a fresh start with a bracing New Year’s Day dip in the freezing River Forth!

8. SCO: New Year Gala

• When: 1st of January 2020
• Where: Various Locations
• Website: www.usherhall.co.uk/whats-on/sco-new-year-gala-20

Welcome 2020 in sparkling style with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra! This New Year’s Day concert has all your favourite and this year’s programme has a Scandinavian twist with a smorgasbord of delights, including galops by Hans Christian Lumbye, as well as classic New Year favourites from, of course, the Strauss family!

9. Message from the Skies

• When: 1st-25th of January 2020
• Where: Usher Hall
• Website: www.edinburghshogmanay.com/message-from-the-skies

Lastly, Message from the Skies returns to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay on 1 January with Shorelines, a collection of letters to Scotland reflecting on our relationship with our seas, waters and coasts and our maritime heritage. will illuminate and animate buildings around the city during the first month of 2020.

Featured Self Catering Apartment – 13/3 Simpson Loan

Have we convinced you Edinburgh is the best place to celebrate the New Year? If so, 13/3 Simpson Loan is a beautiful holiday home for you. There’s a Scandi sense of hygge everywhere with sofas to curl up in and sheepskin rugs. The inviting living space is double height and is decorated in white. There are plantation style shutters on the huge windows and solid oak flooring. There’s a lovely airy feeling of luxury about the space. .

Browse the rest of our self catering homes in Edinburgh here!

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