New Year's Eve in UK 2024

The last day of the year is widely celebrated in most countries, although on different dates, depending on the calendar. New Year’s Eve is a celebration that allows to say ‘Goodbye’ to the previous year, and welcome the new one with open arms. Even though the observance in the United Kingdom always begins on December 31, in most cases it ends in the morning on January 1st.

In the United Kingdom the last day of the year can have two different names. For England, Wales and Northern Ireland it is New Year’s Eve, but in Scotland December 31 is known as Hogmanay. Although this is not a public holiday, the next day, or even two days as it is in Scotland, are bank holidays. This fact encourages many people to spend the last night of the year pompously. Many young people decide to go to a bar or a pub, and a lot of them throw their own parties. Even those who decide to stay at home that night, often go out a few minutes before midnight to watch the display of fireworks with other people. Many of them start to sing Auld Lang Syne – a poem written by a Scottish poet – and hug and kiss others, even strangers, wishing them all the best in the New Year. The Clock Tower at the Westminster Palace has become a symbol of New Year’s Eve in the United Kingdom, as it every year counts down minutes to midnight, and the Big Ben announces the first seconds of the New Year. Many people listen to its New Year’s chimes on the radio or in television.

Different areas of the United Kingdom have different ideas on how to spend New Year’s Eve. Big cities often organize public parties, concerts and firework displays on December 31. In Edinburgh, for example, there is a party in the city centre, that is said to be ‘the best New Year’s party in the world’. It includes a torchlight procession, a street party, a candlelit concert and a night walk for Edinburgh. Birmingham is the perfect place to ‘dance the night away’ during a free party with a DJ. Belfast, on the other hand, holds an elegant celebration in the style of the twenties, with live music, drinks and food. Some people, however, decide to welcome the New Year on the beach, for example in St Ives, Cornwall, dressed up in fancy dresses. Other small towns invite people to join the ancient tradition, as it is in Allendale, where every New Year’s Eve 45 men walk through the streets carrying whiskey barrels of burning tar, that by midnight ignite the ‘Bar’l fire’ in the city centre. Another interesting tradition can be observed in Llangynwyd, Wales. An ancient Welsh custom is being cultivated there every December 31. The locals dress up in big horse skulls, bells and whistles in order to remind the story of Mari Lwyd – the ghost horse. There are, however, many quiet places in Great Britain to simply sit down with friends and watch the fireworks at midnight. Summing up, everyone can find a perfect place to spend the New Year’s Eve night.

Did you know?

Winter celebrations like New Year’s Eve are not only a modern custom. In the British Isles people have celebrated already in the ancient times. Hogmanay was for decades the most important winter festival in Scotland. Many winter celebrations were aiming at tempting the Sun to return. Some of these customs were later connected with commemorating Jesus Christ’s birth.