The number of reasons to go to Edinburgh, Scotland, for New Years is absolutely endless, but for right now, I want to share my top 5!

NEW YEARS PARTY – HOGMANAY

Imagine a street party that goes on and on for miles and miles, with over 150,000 people dancing, eating, and laughing for 6 straight hours (the best part is that the bars are still open until the early morning after the street party). It has LIVE music of all different genres playing and street food vendors selling amazing Scottish and English street foods. Also, Edinburgh Hogmanay has the longest, biggest, and best fireworks display – it goes on for 9-minutes! Just imagine being in a space where everyone is so joyful and excited for the new year and the awesome night that’s ahead!

Hogmanay starts off with a traditional night Viking parade that is led in lighted fire torches to the end of town where they have a massive festival. It’s mean to kick off the last weekend of the current year and begin the new year. This was DEF the wildest part of Hogmanay. I was parading down the main streets of Edinburgh with a fire torch and following actual Vikings!

THE FOOD

Picture this: different stages and activities up and down the street, incredible foods like fish and chips, haggis and massive side sausages with ANY topping! In Edinburgh, they are all about the comfort food and I can’t even be mad about it! It’s the perfect mix of deliciousness and warmth that goes so well when you step inside a restaurant. Oh, and there’s tons of food outdoors too! Can you tell I’m a foodie? The Christmas markets are always booming with delicious, haddock and meats pie.

ALL THE FEELS

The smells are incredible too! Just imagine the scent of smoked salmon or wood burning. And the sounds are magical too – the beautiful sounds of pipe bags and let’s not forget the cold crisp air of Scotland! My entire experience was so incredible! There were so many beautiful Christmas lights and people dressed up with layers of clothes having a blast on the streets of Scotland.

THE HISTORY

I spent a total of 4 days in Scotland and I definitely didn’t want to miss the chance to see the richness of the history that Scotland has to offer. There were old (and I do mean old pubs), that date back to the early 1600’s and underground tunnels that ran through the entire city!

THE HAUNTED

Did you know that most of Scotland is haunted? It’s actually the #1 city in Europe with the most ghost and haunted encounters. I am into that kind of stuff, so it’s pretty cool. Whether you are or not, it’s pretty awesome. Just walking around the city and visiting the old underground tunnels (how the city use to run back then) was pretty spooky and really interesting! Something that was super interesting was when I visited the Greyfriars Kirkyard cemetery and learned that it is one of the most haunted places in the world! JK Rowling, the author of the famous Harry Potter books, even used this specific cemetery as an inspiration for her books and all the elaborate characters in it.

Scotland is such a beautiful place. I learned some really incredible things and met some amazingly kind and accepting people. I can’t wait to go back! If you’ve been let me know and comment below! I love when you guys share your experiences with me.