Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations to return with a bang this winter

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is set to return with a bang.

The much-loved event – which moved online in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic – will return this winter as a four-day festival.

As well as a torchlight procession, there will also be a street party on Princes Street and musical performances at Greyfriars Kirk featuring the likes of Dougie Maclean, Eddi Reader and Breabach.

The iconic fireworks display at Edinburgh Castle will also return.

Bringing in the bells: There will be a torchlight procession, street party, music programme and fireworks. Email

Working closely with The City of Edinburgh Council, organisers Underbelly said it was “dedicated to creating a safe and fun environment for the 2021 celebrations”.

Ticketholders for the Torchlight Procession and the Party at the Bells, who are aged 18 and over, will be required to have a Covid-19 passport to take part in the events.

As part of an ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability, ticketholders will also be invited to offset their journey to the festivities.

All donations to the environmental fund, which will be calculated at the point of purchase when booking tickets online, will be used to create new woodlands in Scotland in partnership with Forest Carbon.

Charlie Wood and Ed Bartlam, co-directors of Underbelly, said: “The 2021 Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations have been reimagined to offer a safe and a fantastic experience for Edinburgh and beyond – telling the world that ‘we are back together’.

“Through the Torchlight Procession, Party at the Bells and the iconic fireworks, this year’s Hogmanay event has been designed to deliver a celebration for the people of Edinburgh and our visitors, and to place Scotland at the forefront of the world’s New Year events.

“We can’t wait to help bring everyone back together again.”

The Torchlight Procession: Thursday, December 30

Working with PyroCeltica, the family-friendly event will be spread out between 4pm and 9pm.
Along the route, flames and light installations will illuminate the experience.
On arrival to Holyrood Park, participants will be asked to light a slow-burning candle. As more and more candles are lit, an image will emerge over the course of the event which will be filmed and streamed online.

Scottish Music Programme: Wednesday, December 29 to Friday, December 31

The event will take place at Greyfriars Kirk.
Breabach will perform on December 29.
Dougie Maclean will perform on December 30.
Eddi Reader will perform on December 31.

Party at the Bells: Friday, December 31, 10pm-1am

This year’s event will be for a reduced audience of 30,000 and 50p from every ticket will be donated to the Brain Tumour Charity.
Artists will be announced in the coming weeks and will perform on the Ross Bandstand to 3500 people in the gardens under Edinburgh Castle. Performances will be streamed onto a series of screens to the crowd in Princes Street.
Netherlands-based Close-Act Theatre will collaborate with a variety of Scottish performers to animate the street in “spectacular style”.
The fireworks display at Edinburgh Castle will light up the sky at midnight.

Message from the Skies, from January 1, 2022

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay’s emblematic project that fuses the work of Scottish writers, artists and musicians will return.

Councillor Cammy Day, depute leader of The City of Edinburgh Council, added: “Edinburgh is the home of Hogmanay and it is fantastic that this year as we mark its 29th year, we see the return of in-person events and that celebrations will return to the streets of the capital.

“There is an unmissable Hogmanay programme this year, which will support economic recovery across the wider city area, safely bring people back together and welcome in the New Year with a renewed sense of optimism for great times ahead.”

Tickets will go on sale at 10am on Tuesday.