Edinburgh's Hogmanay party spirit alive and well as revellers dance the night away at indoor events

With Edinburgh’s Hogmanay outdoor events cancelled due to adverse weather, revellers headed indoors to see in 2025 last night.

Altered Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations took place last night, December 31, as the capital ushered in 2025, with a run of sold-out New Year events in indoor venues across Edinburgh city centre, where the spirit of Hogmanay and a sense of community was alive and well.

Earlier this week, organisers Unique Assembly announced cancellations across the four-day programme due to adverse weather warnings, with all outdoor events sadly being cancelled, including the world-famous Torchlight Procession and Concert in the Gardens.

Due to high winds and inclement weather across Edinburgh city centre, the outdoor events scheduled for December 29-31 were unable to go ahead on the grounds of public safety.

Despite this, all planned indoor events for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations were able to continue, plus a new event Hot Dub Time Machine: IT IS ON! took over Assembly Hall and brought in 2025 with a special new year show and indoor Midnight Moment.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay began on Monday, December 30, with Idlewild’s sold out Night Afore Concert in Assembly Room, whilst yesterday the sold-out New Year Revels: Maximum Ceilidh Edition, featuring more ceilidh bands than ever before, rang in the bells in true Scottish style.

With performances from Jimi Shandrix Experience, Bella McNab’s Dance Band, Hugh MacDiarmid’s Haircut and Bodhran Bodhran, New Year Revels provided non-stop tunes, whisky tasting and dancing for ceilidh-goers who brought in the bells in traditional Scots fashion.

Children and families also joined the celebrations yesterday, with Bairns New Year Revels taking place at Assembly Rooms on the afternoon of December 31 with over 850 people from all age groups, locals and visitors alike dancing the day away.

For those seeking a festive yet tranquil way to begin the New Year, the Candlelit Concert at St. Giles’ Cathedral was a special evening, as the St. Giles' Cathedral Choir were joined by a stunning array of talented young soloists performing the concluding three cantatas from J.S.Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.

With the First Footin’ music trail going ahead in venues across the city centre on New Year’s Day, there’s even more to celebrate as Edinburgh welcomes 2025. With artists including Karine Polwart & Community Choir, Valtos, Dara Dubh, Bee Asha, and more taking to stages in venues and pubs across Edinburgh, the First Footin’ trail celebrates the Scottish first footing tradition with good music and good vibes across the capital.

First Footin’ spreads further than ever before this year with ticketed shows in Leith and Portobello. New venue Leith Arches presents some of Scotland hottest new acts during the day including Mama Terra; Glaswegian pianist, composer and producer Marco Cafolla and saxophonist Konrad Wiszniewski, Mama Terra are hotly tipped by JazzFM, Loch Lomond folk-pop singer-songwriter Liv Dawn, Edinburgh rock band Low Tide, and grunge-fuelled rock from Dutch Wine.

Portobello Town Hall is home to a free afternoon of ceilidh dancing with Bella McNab’s Dance Band, with Brazilian and Cuban big-band flair from community street band Shunpike Social Club.

In the evening, BBC Radio Scotland’s Vic Galloway and Andy Wake (The Phantom Band) bring their club night Vitamin C out to Portobello Town Hall on New Year’s Day featuring alt-rock legends The Vaselines, infectious indie-dance from Sacred Paws and Django Django’s Dave Maclean with an epic DJ set.

Meanwhile, Leith Arches hosts a celebration of House and Old Skool, with an all-female line-up led by DJ Hayley Zalassi, and special guests SWATT TEAM and Disco T*TS, Leith Arches is guaranteed to keep you dancing into 2025.

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