Winter Fire Festivals: Fireballs, Tar Barrels and Viking Galleys

Long before New Year fireworks, Britain marked the turn of the year with fire. A handful of those traditions survive, in small towns and villages that guard them closely, and they are some of the most extraordinary things you can see in the UK in winter. Most are free, run by volunteers, and best treated as a reason to stay a night or two in places you might never otherwise visit.

At a glance

Hogmanay: Stonehaven, Allendale, Comrie and Biggar on 31 December. Up Helly Aa: Lerwick, 26 January 2027. Cost: most are free to watch. Best for: something you will not see anywhere else.

Hogmanay: New Year's Eve

Stonehaven Fireballs, Aberdeenshire

Just before midnight, local swingers parade down the High Street of Stonehaven whirling blazing balls of fire around their heads on long wires, before flinging them into the harbour. It is free to watch and run by volunteers, but the High Street is closed once it reaches capacity, which can happen any time after 11pm. Arrive early.

Allendale Tar Bar'l, Northumberland

In the North Pennines village of Allendale, for more than 160 years, a procession of costumed guisers has carried blazing tar barrels on their heads through the streets, then thrown them onto a bonfire at midnight. Only men born in the Allen Valley can carry a barrel. Hexham is the nearest town of any size.

Comrie and Biggar

In Comrie, Perthshire, flaming torches on tall poles are paraded through the village at midnight. In Biggar, South Lanarkshire, a torchlit procession with pipers lights a bonfire in the High Street earlier in the evening.

Up Helly Aa, Shetland

Europe's best-known fire festival takes place in Lerwick on the last Tuesday of January — 26 January 2027. Hundreds of torch-bearing guizers, led by a Viking squad, march through the town and set fire to a full-size replica galley. After a rule change in recent years, women and girls now take part in the squads too.

Getting there

Shetland is reached by overnight ferry from Aberdeen or by air, and accommodation in Lerwick for Up Helly Aa is booked up months in advance. Our guide to UK island staycations has more on Shetland.

Before you go

These are community events

They exist for the people who run them, not for visitors. Follow the marshals, stand where you are told, and donate if there is a collection — most depend on it.

Weather can stop them

High winds can cancel or curtail fire events at short notice. Check for updates on the day.

The winter solstice in Brighton

In Brighton, Burning the Clocks has marked the shortest day with a parade of paper and willow lanterns along the seafront, which are then burned on the beach. It took a fallow year in 2025 for funding reasons, so check the organisers' plans before travelling.

For more on seeing in the new year, see our guide to New Year staycations.