The Edinburgh Minute 🎆 Hogmanay guide 2025/26

🌤️ Good afternoon Edinburgh. Welcome to this year’s local Hogmanay guide. There's something for everyone, except the people who like to do nothing. (I see you and this year I'm with you). The list has been curated to avoid sold-out events. Tickets for the events below are available at time of publishing. But many are expected to sell out, including Monday evening's Torchlight Procession. Good luck! Your usual daily Edinburgh Minute will return at 7am tomorrow.

❄️  Weather: No rain is forecast for this year's Hogmanay. Chances of a repeat of last year's event cancellation are slim. But it will still be chilly at night. Here's the week's forecast: Monday will be cloudy with temperatures ranging from 0C to 6C. Tuesday should be mostly sunny with a gentle breeze, -1C-2C. Wednesday (Hogmanay) will have sunny intervals before a cloudy but dry evening with temperatures between 3C and 6C, and currently a 5% chance of rain. There's a slight chance of light showers on Thursday 1st. But remember, it's Scotland and we've had a lot of drizzle recently which hadn't appeared in any forecasts, so wrap up. - Get the full Met Office forecast here.

📆 Monday 29 December:

🔥 Torchlight Procession. When: 6pm - 8.30pm, Monday 29 December. Where: Starting in the Meadows then down Johnston Terrace. What: The Torchlight Procession will welcome over 15,000 torch bearers and friends from around the world to once again illuminate the capital’s historic Old Town led by the Massed Pipes & Drums and Vikings from Shetland’s South Mainland Up Helly Aa’ Jarl Squad. - Tickets from £18 here.

🪩 Vitamin C Club Night at Assembly Rooms. Who: Vic Galloway and Andy Wake, joined by Swim School, waverley and Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai. When: 8.30pm, Monday 29 December. Where: Assembly Rooms, George Street. What: Vic Galloway and Andy Wake host the official Torchlight After-Party in the shape of Vitamin C club nigh. Featuring sets from Swim School, waverley and Stuart Braithwaite. - Tickets from £25 here.

📆 Tuesday 30 December

🪗 Night Afore Concert. Who: Peat & Diesel (headliner) plus RuMac, hosted by Levi Heron. When: 6pm - 10.30pm, Tuesday 30 December. Where: Ross Bandstand, Princes Street Gardens. What: Stornoway folk-rock stars Peat & Diesel headline the Night Afore Concert with support from RuMac and Levi Heron. - Tickets from £32.50 here.

🎤 Ho Ho Hogmanay. Who: Susie McCabe, Larry Dean, Christopher Macarthur-Boyd and Ayo Adenekan. When: 10pm, Tuesday 30 November. Where: Assembly Rooms, George Street. What: A night of side-splitting comedy from the very best of Scottish comedy. Hosted by Susie McCabe and featuring Christopher McArthur Boyd, Ayo Adenekan and Larry Dean. - Tickets from £22.50 here.

🎸 Glasvegas – Hogmanay Acoustic Show. When: 7pm – 9pm. Where: Assembly Rooms, George Street. What: Indie-rock legends Glasvegas perform a special acoustic set at the famous Assembly Rooms, celebrating an iconic body of work. - Tickets from £22.50 here.

🎻 "What better way to celebrate the night afore than with the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra at the Usher Hall? Join us at 7.30pm for an evening of toe-tapping music, lively jigs and reels, poignant slow airs and well known songs and pipe music as we say goodbye to 2025." - Thanks to Ruth for sharing this.

🎵 Lau by Candlelight. Who: Lau (listen to them here). When: 7.45pm - 9pm, Tuesday 30 November. Where: St Giles’ Cathedral. What: A stunning candlelit concert from trad-music innovators Lau set in the breathtaking atmosphere of St Giles’ Cathedral. Tickets from £27 here.

📆 Wednesday 31 December - HOGMANAY

💃 Bairns Hogmanay Ceilidh Club. When: 2pm - 3.30pm, Wednesday 31 December. Where: Assembly Rooms, George Street. What: A special Bairn’s Hogmanay Ceilidh Club allows young party-goers a chance to join the celebrations with a huge family ceilidh, live music, dancing and Hogmanay fun for all. Don’t worry if you don’t know the moves, it’s a relaxed ‘have-a-go’ environment, where everyone can join in! - Tickets from £14 here.

💃 Hogmanay Ceilidh Club. When: 9pm - 1am, Wednesday 31 December - Thursday 1 January. Where: Assembly Rooms, George Street. What: The Hogmanay Ceilidh Club returns to the famous Assembly Rooms, with more live ceilidh action than ever before across two dancefloors, guaranteed to have you birlin’ through the bells into 2026. Featuring the incredible Ceilidhdonia, Teannaich, Hugh MacDiarmid’s Haircut and Bodhran Bodhran. - Tickets from £70 here.

🕯️ Candlelight Concert at St Giles’ Cathedral. Who: St. Giles' Cathedral Choir, St. Giles' Camerata leader Angus Ramsay, directed by new Master of Music Jack Oades. When: 6pm - 7.30pm, Wednesday 31 December. Where: St Giles’ Cathedral. What: A festive and tranquil celebration seeing in the New Year in the candlelit atmosphere of St. Giles' Cathedral. - Tickets from £24 here.

🎆 Concert in the Gardens. When: 8pm - 12am, Wednesday 31 December. Where: Ross Bandstand, Princes Street Gardens. What: Grammy Award winners Wet Leg headline the iconic Concert in the Gardens, with support from local hero Hamish Hawk and Glasgow’s own Lucia & The Best Boys. - Tickets from £73 here.

🎆 Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party. When: 8pm - 12.45am, Wednesday 31 December - Thursday 1 January. Where: Princes Street. What: The World-Famous Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party returns with headliners including 2manydjs, Valtos and support from The Poozies, Hayley Zalassi and Bella McNab’s Danceband. - Tickets from £33 here.

🎧 Street Party Mega Silent Disco. When: 9pm - 12.45am, Wednesday 31 December - Thursday 1 January. Where: Princes Street. What: Silent Adventures bring back their Mega Silent Disco for this year’s Hogmanay Celebrations. Expect sing-along anthems and dancefloor bangers to have you dancing along Princes Street.- Tickets from £32 here.

🎉 Hogmanay at The Pitt in Granton sold out last year and organisers tell me it's nearly sold out again. Performing: Auntie Flo, Callum Easter, Fish on Stilts, Juniper Function Band + BOXNRG. They say: "Big Beats. Big Bites. Big Ceilidh. Even Bigger Cheers! Ring in the New Year the Pitt way! Join us for an epic Hogmanay celebration packed with street food feasts, incredible live music, ceilidh dancing, and a countdown to remember." Every ticket includes a complimentary dram at midnight to toast the New Year.

🎉 The St James Quarter has a range of Hogmanay events: 'Night of Ritual and Renewal' at W Edinburgh, SushiSamba New Year's Eve Celebration, New Year's Eve at Duck & Waffle, 'The Ultimate Hogmanay Brunch at Flight Club', 'A Midnight Garden New Year’s Eve at The Botanist', 'A Cosmic New Year at The Alchemist'.

🍿 The Filmhouse cinema on Lothian Road is marking Hogmanay with a week of Scottish classics including Comfort and Joy, I Know Where I'm Going, Whisky Galore, The Illusionist, Wild Rose & The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. - Tickets and more details are here.

🎼 The Cameo cinema is showing a live broadcast of the Berliner Philharmoniker Live: NYE Concert. - Tickets here.

🪩 Sneaky Pete's host an all-star lineup of local legends for Sneaks All Stars Hogmanay from 10pm to 5am. - Tickets running low here.

🔊 Slàinte Mhath returns for Hogmanay at Leith FAB Cricket Club, featuring local DJs between 9pm and 2am. - Tickets here.

🔊 Dillinja headlines Hogmanay at the Bongo Club. - Tickets are nearly sold out.

😃 Leithienda returns to Leith Arches with DJ Kid and Mistersmith playing house and club classics. - Tickets here.

🎧 With a big line-up of local DJs, including Messenger Sound System, Headset at The Mash House has four rooms covering techno, electro, house, garage, disco, grime and more. - Full details here.

🎺 It's a Reggae Got Soul Hogmanay party at Leith Depot. - Tickets here.

💃 The Voodoo Rooms hosts a 'Vegas!' themed party for Hogmanay. - Tickets and lineup here.

🧘‍♀️ "Wed 31 Dec, 8pm - 12.30am - Alternative Hogmanay Celebration at Kadampa Meditation Centre in Leith. Mocktails, meditation, shared vegetarian buffet with like minded people & mantra chanting by candlelight over the bells! Everyone is Welcome, £20 per person."

🌯 They're opening up the dancefloor at Edinburgh Street Food for a ceilidh on Hogmanay, then their Big Fat Quiz of the Year on New Year's Day (5pm to 7pm, 1 Jan) - Tickets here.

📆 Thursday 1 January 2026

🎵 First Footin’ + First Footin’ Sessions. The Free live music trail spreads out across the city’s venues with gigs from Tinderbox Orchestra, Kathryn Joseph, Slix, Quiet Houses and more. Plus, Basque Country Artists Maren, Mikel Urdangarin, Olaia Inziarte join Valtos for a Scottish Expo Fund cultural exchange at Greyfriars Kirk. When: 2pm - 8pm. Where: Various venues including Cold Town House, The Black Bull and The Boozy Cow. - Free, more details here.

🎉 Sprogmanay at the museum. When: 2pm-5pm. Where: National Museum of Scotland, Free. A packed day of family fun at the National Museum of Scotland, with Unicorn Dance Party, live magic and more.

🎉 Sprogmanay Family Ceilidh - Portobello. When: 1pm – 4.30pm. Where: Portobello Town Hall. Free. A family-friendly afternoon of Ceilidh dancing from The Sensational Jimi Shadrix Experience.

🎉 Sprogmanay Family Ceilidh - Assembly Roxy. When: 2pm-5pm. Where: Assembly Roxy, Free. Fruin Ceilidh Band provide the family-friendly footstompin’ sets at this free Ceilidh.

🎤 Muckle Be The Light: Manson, The Makar and Dreamers Beyond. When: 6pm. Where: Portobello Town Hall. What: Michael Pederson and Shirley Manson are joined by Nicola Sturgeon and Norman Blake for an evening of blether, books and music. - Tickets from £25 here.

🏊‍♀️ It's the 40th anniversary of South Queensferry's Loony Dook on 1 January 2026 at 9.30am. Volunteers from the RNLI Queensferry Lifeboat Station will be on hand. - More details here.

• ⮑ There's also an inland dook at the Lost Shore surf resort near Ratho. - Sign up here.

⏰ Thanks for reading edition number 799.
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