Edinburgh's Hogmanay is one of the great New Year celebrations anywhere, a multi-day festival of street parties, music and fireworks over the castle. It is also, on the big night, extremely busy, ticketed in places and not to everyone's taste. The good news is that you can have the atmosphere without surrendering to the crush, if you plan it right.
The big night
The headline street party along Princes Street is ticketed and sells out, and it is a proper crowd, fun if that is what you want but overwhelming if it is not. The torchlight procession a few nights earlier is a wonderful, more relaxed spectacle, and the fireworks at midnight can be seen from many vantage points around the city for free if you find a spot early.
The calmer version
- Watch the fireworks from a hill, Calton Hill or Arthur's Seat, rather than from the heart of the party, for the view without the squeeze.
- Book a restaurant well in advance and see in the new year over a long dinner; the city's kitchens rise to the occasion.
- Stay a few nights either side, when the city is festive but far calmer, and walk the old town in the winter quiet.
Practical notes
Accommodation over Hogmanay books up early and costs more, so reserve well ahead. The city is walkable and the trains and trams run, but roads close around the events, so build that into your plans. Dress for serious cold; standing about outdoors at midnight in an Edinburgh winter is no joke.
If even the calmer version sounds too much, consider a Highland or Borders bolthole instead, where a village will have its own quieter celebration and you can step outside to clear skies. But for the full experience, done with a bit of strategy, Edinburgh at New Year is hard to beat, a grand old city throwing itself a party in the dark of winter.