Thousands gather as Edinburgh welcomes new year with spectacular fireworks

The display marked the culmination of an evening of festivities in the Scottish capital, which included the sold-out Hogmanay Street Party.

Revellers were treated to a spectacular fireworks display above Edinburgh Castle (Steve Welsh/PA) (PA Wire)

Thousands of revellers saw in 2026 in Edinburgh city centre, where they were treated to a spectacular fireworks display as part of the capital’s Hogmanay celebrations.

Crowds of people gathered along the city’s Princes Street as the hour struck and the six-and-a-half-minute display got underway above Edinburgh Castle.

Accompanied by a soundtrack featuring the likes of Lewis Capaldi, Eurythmics and Simple Minds, the spectacle concluded with a version of Auld Lang Syne from Skye duo Valtos, while a saltire was projected onto Castle Rock.

The display marked the culmination of an evening of festivities in the Scottish capital, which included the Concert in the Gardens headlined by the band Wet Leg.

The 45,000 people attending the sold-out Hogmanay Street Party were entertained with pipe bands, drummers, a DJ set from Belgian duo 2manydjs and a silent disco.

Ann Bracefield, a primary school teacher from Wellington in New Zealand, was among the thousands at the street party.

The 55-year-old said she had come to Edinburgh for the event because “it’s where to be for New Years”.

“I have a teacher friend who tried to get in last year from New Zealand and he missed it because it was cancelled,” she said.

“So, it was like, ‘right, I’m going to try’. So, to Scott from Bangkok, I actually made it.”

Elias Branting, 24, who travelled from Sweden for the event, said it had a “great” atmosphere.

“There’s lots of people, there’s lots of food, there’s lots of light, which is awesome,” he said.

“The entire city is lit up, which is great, and we’re looking forward to the fireworks as well.”

This year’s sold-out event marked the return of the festival following last year’s cancellation due to bad weather.

Conditions in Edinburgh this year were clear and chilly, although the city avoided the weather warnings for snow and ice which come into place for parts of Scotland from 6am on New Year’s Day.

Ahead of the celebrations, First Minister John Swinney quoted Robert Burns’ Auld Lang Syne to urge people to show small acts of kindness in 2026.