This event is now over for 2010.  We expect it will return next year.

Big-hearted, kid-friendly and tinged with just a hint of pyromania, the 30th December Torchlit Procession is a highlight of Edinburgh's Hogmanay. In the city's homage to Shetland's Up Helly Aa, a fiery crowd parades through the streets of Edinburgh - culminating with a son-et-lumiere finale on top of Calton Hill.

The procession's a huge participation event, as crowd of 20,000 torch-bearers marches along Princes Street (closed to traffic for the night). It's hard to see how it can possibly end without the whole of Edinburgh being on fire... but, under the watchful eye of event stewards, the flaming finale is a safe and fun occasion for the whole family.

Getting a torch

The procession and events on Calton Hill are free to all, but to get into the spirit of things, you're going to need a torch. For obvious safety reasons, only officially-sanctioned slow-burn models are allowed - you can pick one up at Parliament Square before the start of the procession.

Torches cost £6 on the night, or £5 if you buy a voucher in advance. Proceeds this year go to Forth One Cash For Kids and Barnardo's Scotland; vouchers are available online.

Taking part

Visitors beware: the starting point for the procession, Parliament Square, is on the Royal Mile and is nowhere near the modern-day Scottish Parliament.

Plan to join the expectant crowd in Parliament Square (by St Giles' Cathedral) from around 6pm, to collect your torch and enjoy the atmosphere. At 6:30, the first torch is lit, and the excitement's palpable as the flame spreads person-to-person through the crowd.

The torch-bearing parade passes down the Mound - combined with the Christmas lights, it's one of the prettiest sights of the year - before turning right onto Princes Street and Waterloo Place. The real action starts, though, after the short climb onto Calton Hill; that's where they'll light this year's bonfire, a temporary flaming addition to the city's iconic skyline.

It's all topped off with a short son-et-lumiere performance at the hill-top National Monument, and it's a safe bet that there'll be a few fireworks to round off proceedings - a pleasing foretaste of the big display at the bells on Hogmanay.

The wonderful picture of the burning longboat (from a previous year's parade) was taken by Lee Kindness.  Our thanks to him for releasing the image under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence.