Everything you need to know about Up Helly Aa 2026 - including what's on and how to watch it live

Held on the last Tuesday of January, the annual event is led by Guizer Jarl – the chief Viking selected by the Up Helly Aa committee – and his squad guizers, each of whom will be dressed in a carefully crafted Viking-inspired outfit.

A celebration of Shetland’s Norse heritage as well as a the passing of winter, Up Helly Aa is already well under way in Lerwick as the town prepares for this evening’s torchlit procession, which culminates in the iconic burning of the galley.

Here is everything you need to know about Up Helly Aa 2026, from what it is and how it is celebrated in Lerwick, to how you can watch live from home.

What is Up Helly Aa?

Up Helly Aa is Shetland’s largest fire festival which takes place on the last Tuesday of January. Held annually, the event marks the passing of winter and helps usher in the longer days.

While it also celebrates Shetland’s Norse history, the tradition is actually fairly modern with its roots dating back to the 1800s, when groups of young men would drag and roll burning barrels of tar through the streets of Lerwick.

Due to the damage the tar caused the practice was eventually banned, which led residents to come up with an alternative celebration which is now known as Up Helly Aa.

How did Up Helly Aa begin?

Up Helly Aa as we now know it began taking shape around 1870. Organisers decided to celebrate the festival on the last Tuesday in January each year, with now iconic elements such as the now iconic torchlight procession and guizing introduced.

Then in the late 1880s, Shetland’s Viking heritage began to be incorporated into Up Helly Aa with now integral traditions such as the burning of the galley, a Viking long ship, added to the festival.

However, Up Helly Aa celebrations continued to develop over the years and it wasn’t until 1906 that reports of Guizer Jarl, the chief guizer, made his first appearance, with his Guizer Jarl Squad of Vikings said to appear following the First World War.

Up Helly Aa: How is it celebrated?

The planning for Up Helly Aa begins well in advance, with visitors from around the world travelling to Lerwick to witness the event.

The morning parade and proclamation

From around 8am, Guizer Jarl, who is selected by the Up Helly Aa Committee, and his Jarl Squad march through Lerwick with the galley, accompanied by a brass band.

The group will pause at Market Cross, where they view the Proclamation, which includes (often satirical) commentary on what is happening in Lerwick as well the Jarl Squad. The procession will then continue throughout the town after the squad leave the Galley by Bressay Ferry Terminal to head to the civic reception at the town hall.

There are then further stops made at local primary schools, homes and hospitals, and more with a stop for lunch included.

The Jarl Squad’s Shetland Museum stop

From 3.30pm, the Jarl’s Squad will stop at Shetland Museum, which allows attendees to meet the Vikings during their final public event before the evening procession.

This is a free but ticketed event which is likely to be extremely busy.

The Junior Jarl's Squad

There is also the Junior Jarl and their own Squad, selected by their peers, who will take on their own parade through the town. The Junior Jarl's Squad’s torchlit procession will begin from around 5.30pm, heading towards the King George V playing field where they will burn the junior galley.

Up Helly Aa begins

At 7.15pm, the senior Junior Jarl's Squad procession will begin. Passing the ranks of guizers, formed of around 45 squads, the Jarl’s Squad will take their place at the front of the procession. Then at 7.30pm a signal will be fired over the town hall to signal the more than 900 torches to be lit.

With the Jarl’s Squad at the head of the procession, they will carry the galley - with Guizer Jarl aboard - through the town to the burning site. Located at King George V playing fields, no members of the public or press are permitted into the burning site.

Then the Jarl’s Squad and around 1,000 torch-bearers will circle the galley, singing the galley song, as Guizer Jarl leaves the galley, with a bugle signalling for the torches to be thrown into the galley, which will be destroyed after months of work.

While the galley burns, the guizers sing The Norseman’s Home before departing to their own squad huts.

After the burning of the galley

Once the galley has been burned, a night of food, drink and dancing begins around Shetland. There are 11 halls which will open up for Up Helly Aa celebrations, including Lerwick Town Hall.

The guizer squads will then rotate around the halls, where they will perform various acts - from comedy skits to dances - with the entertainment likely to carry into Wednesday morning. As for Guizer Jarl’s Squad, they will also visit each hall in the opposite direction to the other squads.

How to watch Up Helly Aa 2026 live

If you would like to experience Up Helly Aa but aren’t able to attend in person, then you can watch the event live.

A livestream of the Up Helly Aa 2026 in Lerwick will be available via the festival’s website or on YouTube from 6.45pm this evening. Live coverage of the torchlit procession and galley burning will begin at 7pm.

You can sign up for live notifications on YouTube, with the stream likely to last around 2 hours.