Lantern parades, fireworks and all-night festivities teamed with wild winter walks, traditional ceilidhs, and feasts served beside roaring log fires. No other part of the UK celebrates the New Year with as much passion as Scotland.
The origins of Hogmanay – New Year’s Eve – hark back to wild parties held amongst the Vikings during the winter solstice celebrations. And while the date has shifted to the 31st of December, the wild celebrations, frenzy of goodwill and renditions of Auld Lang Syne can still be enjoyed nationwide.
Whether you’re keen to dance until dawn or join in family-friendly festivities, here are our favourite spots to enjoy Hogmanay by the sea in Scotland.
Edinburgh
Best for: All-night revellers
With its famous street party, toe-tapping ceilidhs and live music performances, Edinburgh really knows how to put on a show at New Year. The vibrant city is packed with events, including the incredible torchlit procession, fire performers, pipe bands and drummers. Wrap up and watch it unfold, or book ahead for key events such as the Concert in the Garden. If you need to shake off the cobwebs on 1 January, find a wacky outfit and join in the Loony Dook New Year’s dip in the Firth of Forth.
Where to stay: 40 Main Street, Fife
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Situated close to two sandy beaches on the shores facing Edinburgh, here you can stay in and watch the fireworks from your cosy Scandi-style apartment, or cross the Firth of Forth to be in the heart of the festivities.
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Inverness
Best for: Family festivities
A notch less hectic than Edinburgh, Inverness is our favourite Scottish destination to celebrate Hogmanay with the whole family. There’s a smorgasbord of celebrations for all ages – from traditional ceilidhs and family-friendly concerts, to the procession of flaming torches and the Red Hot Highland Fling street party on the banks of the River Ness.
Where to stay: The Townhouse, Inverness
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Dive into the Hogmanay celebrations from this spacious townhouse within walking distance of the town centre.
Stonehaven
Best for: Flaming Fireballs
Witness the spectacle of the unique Stonehaven Fireballs parade – a winter fire festival that turns up the heat on New Year’s Eve. A piper leads a magical procession of swinging fireballs just before midnight, following a 100-year-old tradition and ritual, thought to burn off any bad spirits left from the old year so that the New Year can begin clean and purified.
Aberdeen
Best for: Ceilidh by the beach
Jig into the spirit of New Year at the popular Hogmanay ceilidh at the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen. If you don’t fancy a traditional Scottish dance, slug a dram of whisky and join in plenty of other events throughout Aberdeen, including a street party, torchlight procession and a fireworks extravaganza at Castle Terrace.
Skye
Best for: Island Hogmanay
Castaway to the Isle of Skye for a unique New Year steeped in community spirit and time-honoured traditions. As well as gatherings in cosy inns island-wide, the highlight of Skye’s Hogmanay is a series of Up Helly Aa fire festivals held in villages across the island. These spectacular events feature the burning of large Viking-style galleys, alongside lively music and dancing.
Burghead
Best for: Late Hogmanay celebrations
Looking for a later date to celebrate New Year? Head to the coastal town of Burghead in Moray, where they ignore the Gregorian calendar and instead celebrate ‘Old Hogmanay’ on 11 January. Traditions include the the Burning of the Clavie, where by the clavie (a wooden barrel filled with wooden staves) is paraded through the town, before being set alight on a nearby hill.
Book a Holiday Cottage for Hogmanay by the Sea in Scotland
Stay in a seaside retreat where you can join in Scotland’s New Year celebrations, and take heed of a few Hogmanay traditions in your coastal abode. For example, to ensure good luck, the ‘first foot’ to arrive in your house on New Year’s Day should be that of a dark-haired male, who should bring symbolic gifts, such as shortbread, black buns or whisky, to ensure good fortune for the year ahead. This is believed to be a throwback to Viking days, when blonde strangers arriving on your doorstep meant trouble.
Take this and other traditions into your Hogmanay celebrations when you stay in a coastal holiday home in Scotland for New Year.
Looking for somewhere else to see in next year by the sea? Check out our blog on more of our favourite places to celebrate New Year on the Coast.
