Hogmanay - New Years Eve in Edinburgh

With thousands of participants every year, the Hogmanay New Years celebration is one of the largest New Years parties in the world.  During the New Years period the Scottish capital city is a lively and festive destination and features numerous parties, events, processions, parades and other celebrations. After an introductory tour of Edinburgh, you will have plenty of free time to spend celebrating the new year however you want to, and your four star hotels location directly on the public transportation lines makes getting to and from downtown easy.

And you will want to be downtown on New Years Eve, when the street party along Princes Street kicks into high gear.  With reserved admission to the festival atmosphere, you will have access to DJs, live music, food and fun and you will already be in a prime viewing location when the cannons fire at midnight to start the fireworks show.  But the fun isn't limited to New Years Eve only, you can use your free time in the days before and after Hogmanay to attend various events which will be taking place including the “Loony Dook”, an outrageous New Years Day event on the Firth of Forth which must be seen to be believed.  

New Years Eve may happen every year, but each Hogmanay only ever happens once.  Don’t let this trip pass you by.  Contact Kaiserslautern Outdoor Recreation to reserve your seats on the flight to Edinburgh today!

Estimated Itinerary

Monday: Fly to Edinburgh

Edinburgh is only a short flight from Frankfurt.  Your early flight will have you to your four star downtown hotel by the early afternoon and ready to explore “Auld Reekie”, as the Scottish Capital has been referred to since the 1800s. A city walk during your visit will familiarize you with Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and famous downtown locations and landmarks.

Tuesday: Hogmanay - aka. New Years Eve

Hogmanay - New Years - in Scotland is a multi-day celebration with a street fair environment which begins on the 28th and lasts through the second of January, but the highlight of the weekend is the massive street party held along Princes Street and the live music in the Princes Street Gardens on New Years Eve.  The festival atmosphere on New Years Eve starts early and continues through midnight, when the cannons at Edinburgh Castle are fired to kick off an enormous fireworks display. The Edinburgh Hogmanay is one of the largest New Years festivals in the world with attendance records reaching into the hundreds of thousands.  Now tickets are strictly limited, but you won’t need to worry about missing out.  An admission ticket to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is included in your travel package.  

Wednesday: Free Day

Originally proposed as a tongue-in-cheek suggestion for a New Years Day hangover cure, the Loony Dook is an annual “Polar Bear Plunge” into the ice cold waters of the Firth of Forth.  Hundreds of “Dookers”, often in fancy clothes and costumes, make their way to the waters edge where they are greeted by bagpipers, bowls of “warming porridge” and crowds of energetic spectators before diving into the freezing waters with all the proceeds from tickets and registration fees benefiting local charities. Whether or not you use your free day to go to the Firth of Forth, you will be sure to find something to keep you busy on the first day of 2025.

Thursday: Free Day

Edinburgh’s Royal Mile runs from Holyroodhouse Palace, the primary royal residence in Scotland since the 16th century to Edinburgh Castle at the peak of Castle Rock.  Your hotel’s downtown location makes it easy to return to the Royal Mile as much as you want to during your visit to Edinburgh. This historic street is dotted with fun attractions like the Camera Obscura World of Illusions and the Scotch Whisky Experience to historic and creepy experiences like Mary King’s Close and countless Harry Potter or haunted themed tours. 

Friday: Return to Kaiserslautern

Your return flight to Frankfurt doesn't take off until 6 p.m., giving you a final day in Edinburgh to check off that one last thing that you missed on your to-do list before your afternoon transfer to the airport.

Price:

• Double Occupancy: $1929 per person
• Single Occupancy: $2649
   
• Up to 2 children aged 3-11 in family room with 2 paid adults: $1299 per child
• Infants under 3 sharing existing bedding with adult: $349
   
• Child and infant rates available upon request based on age and required room configuration

Deadlines and Discounts:

• Empty hotel rooms will be cancelled on Friday, October 18
• Airline ticket price supplements may apply to all registrations made on or after Saturday, October 19

Trip Includes: 

• Round trip transportation including airfare and airport shuttles
• 4 nights lodging at Yotel Edinburgh**** or equivalent
• Daily breakfast and dinner
• Guided city walk of Edinburgh
• Admission to Edinburgh Castle
• Admission to Hogmanay Street Party
  • Street Party admission is limited by the event organizer to ages 12+

What to Bring:

• Comfortable, weather appropriate shoes and clothing
• Credit/Debit card or British Pounds
• Military ID and Passport

Departure: 7 a.m. from Kaiserslautern Outdoor Recreation, Pulaski Barracks, bldg. 2905

Return: Friday night