Partygoers brave the cold to see in the new year as thousands flock to Hogmanay street party
Concert in the Gardens and fireworks draw revellers ahead of weather warnings for snow
Tens of thousands of revellers from around the world braved cold conditions as they descended on Edinburgh last night to see in the New Year at the city’s famous Hogmanay street party.
Organisers expected around 45,000 to turn out for the celebrations – a similar number to those who had to make last-minute alternative arrangements last year, when the event was cancelled because of bad weather.
The Concert in the Gardens was set to be headlined by indie rock band Wet Leg, supported by Scottish acts Hamish Hawk and Lucia & The Best Boys, followed by a six-minute show involving around 1,000 fireworks at the stroke of midnight.
New Jersey newlyweds Brandon Ordonez and Mariana Pinos de Ordonez, who were in Edinburgh from the US for their honeymoon, told The Scotsman: “We just wanted to do something special.”
She added: “We are really excited to see the Scottish welcome, the bagpipes and just seeing that traditional culture, and we’re really excited to see the fireworks.”
Asked what they hoped for from 2026, Mr Ordonez said: “I’m currently in medical school, so I’m hoping that I can spend the rest of my future with my lovely wife, our two dogs and with our family.”
Earlier, the leader of Edinburgh City Council said Hogmanay celebrations could be supported by the new visitor levy, or “tourist tax”.
The city will in 2026 become the first in the UK to charge a transient visitor levy similar to schemes in European cities such as Amsterdam, after councillors voted to approve it in August 2024.
Council leader Jane Meagher said she would be “surprised” if the so-called tourist tax, which will add 5 per cent to accommodation bills in the city from July, was not used to support funding for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations.
The event is organised by the council along with Unique Assembly, an events firm, but depends on funding applications each year.
This year’s four-day event began on Monday with a torchlight procession, and concludes on Thursday with a series of live music events across the city.
Efforts have been made to expand the celebrations beyond the city centre and to put on free-to-access events.
Ms Meagher said she would be “surprised if some of the visitor levy wasn’t used to support Hogmanay celebrations in some way”.
She said decisions would be made by a committee rather than by herself, and other expenditure to boost tourism could include improvements to infrastructure such as lighting, litter picking and graffiti removal.
Ms Meagher said: “It has got to be used for the purposes in the legislation, including supporting tourism, and the winter festivals are an important part of that.”
IN PICTURES: Edinburgh Hogmanay: 17 great pictures as people prepare to party in Princes Street to welcome 2026
She welcomed the introduction of the visitor levy, and said: “I am very keen on closing the gap in the city between the rich and the poor.
“It is a wealthy, thriving city if you are in on it, but if you are not, it is not a great place to be.
“The free events are so important to us, because it keeps it accessible to people.
“The winter festivals put £200 million into the economy, it is an investment – it is good for business and jobs, and people need jobs.
“We have had far more local businesses at the Christmas markets. I think it is really positive – we do everything possible to keep it positive. It cheers everybody up.”
Despite the main Hogmanay street party being cancelled in 2024, the winter festival including the Christmas market were worth almost £200 million to the city last year and research published by Unique Assembly found more than 2.8 million people attended.
Auckland was the first major city to ring in 2026 with a fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, the Sky Tower.
It was followed by a defiant celebration in Australia in the aftermath of a mass shooting in the country.
The five-minute display in Auckland involved 3,500 fireworks launched from various floors of the 787ft Sky Tower.
Scotland’s Hogmanay festivities got under way as forecasters warned of a cold start to the year, with snow expected across much of the UK.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for snow and ice in northern Scotland between 6am today and the end of tomorrow, along with large parts of England and Wales until noon tomorrowon January 2.
It could see some areas blanketed in snow up to 5cm deep, especially on higher ground in parts of North Wales and north-west England.
Separate yellow warnings were in place for Northern Ireland between midnight and 10am tomorrow.
The chilly conditions are expect to have an impact on transport, with people urged to prepare for longer journey times by road, bus and train services.
The Met Office has also warned of injuries due to slips and falls on icy surfaces, which will develop quickly as sleet and snow clears.
A Met Office spokeswoman said: "This warning highlights the risk of disruptive snow showers and icy surfaces, particularly in northern and eastern areas, with impacts on travel and potential hazardsfor the public.
"We expect this cold spell to persist into the weekend and on into next week, with further warnings possible as temperatures remain well below average and snow showers continuein places."
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also issued more severe warnings for the start of the year.
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