As always, Edinburgh is the heart of Hogmanay celebrations. A cracking set of festivities starts with the Torchlight Procession (Sunday 29 December), where the city is transformed by a parade of flickering firelight from 20,000 participants. A family-friendly event in The Meadows, with entertainment from The Beltane Society, kicks things off and it all ends with a fiery finale right under the castle.

The Night Afore gets a new look with two events (Monday 30 December). Hot Dub Time Machine headline The Night Afore Disco Party in Princes Street Gardens, with revellers dancing through the decades to Tom Lowndes’ time-travelling set. Local heroes Idlewild start the celebrations for their 30th anniversary year with The Night Afore Concert, a rare chance to see them in the intimate setting of the Assembly Rooms.

Hogmanay itself centres around Princes Street Gardens and Edinburgh Castle. Susie McCabe hosts the iconic Texas (plus guest Callum Beattie) for The Concert In The Gardens. Fresh from a mammoth sold-out Hydro show this autumn, there’s no doubt Sharleen Spiteri and co will be bringing their A-game. The Street Party brings 45,000 revellers to town, with live music, DJs, and pipes and drums all leading up to a glorious ‘midnight moment’. If that all sounds a bit too outdoorsy, New Year Revels: Maximum Ceilidh Edition has two ceilidh bands over two dance floors, including the brilliantly named Jimi Shandrix Experience. Or, for a complete change of pace, pause for reflection at the Candlelit Concert At St Giles’ Cathedral; Michael Harris directs the Cathedral Choir in three cantatas from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.

New Year’s Day moves out of the city centre. Vitamin C At Portobello Town Hall features The Vaselines, Sacred Paws and a DJ set from Django Django. Vic Galloway and Andy Wake are in charge. The New Year’s Day Club Night is at Leith Arches, where Hayley Zalassi presents an all-female line-up of old skool house. For something more contemplative, Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s afternoon New Year Gala pits both the Strausses against Bernstein in a Vienna vs New York play-off.  

While Glasgow doesn’t have an ‘official’ Hogmanay festival, there’s still plenty to do. If you want to welcome 2025 with a laugh, Mickey Bartlett headlines The Stand’s Hogmanay Specials (Friday 27–Tuesday 31 December); Ray Bradshaw hosts, with Susan Riddell and Liam Farrelly. The Ashton Lane Street Party brings together local bars with outdoor food stalls, street performers and live entertainment for a fun way to ring in the bells. SWG3 take the 31st seriously: at their NRG NYE Special, 999999999 plus Cadzow and Dken will take over the whole joint for a night of hard techno. If you want glamour, head to The Corset Club for their Studio 54-themed bash, while Magic Nostalgic at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut sounds fun: the wheel of destiny spins every half hour, landing on a genre of music that’s played exclusively until the next spin.