In Pictures: Vikings storm streets of Lerwick as Up Helly Aa festival returns

The annual festival in Shetland has women involved in its ‘jarl squad’ for the first time this year.

The Jarl Squad set light to the galley in Lerwick on the Shetland Isles (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

Up Helly Aa made a roaring comeback to the streets of Lerwick as thousands gathered to watch the world-famous fire festival.

This year’s event made history after women were invited to join the Jarl Squad for the first time since the festival began in the 1870s.

Up Helly Aa aims to celebrate Shetland’s Norse heritage and begins with a morning parade culminating in a torch-lit procession and a replica longboat being set alight.

All good things come to an end and the galley was put to the torch after a fiery procession.