Comrie Flambeaux is a unique Hogmanay festival in the village of Comrie, Perthshire. Participants carry long birch torches (“flambeaux”) in a torchlit procession at midnight to cleanse the village as the New Year arrives 1 2. After the parade returns to Melville Square, the torches are ceremonially thrown off the Dalginross Bridge into the River Earn to symbolically cast out evil spirits 2 3. The evening features fancy-dress parades, local pipe band music and fireworks, all reflecting a deep local tradition.
Held on New Year’s Eve (Hogmanay), the Flambeaux Procession embodies the Scottish tradition of using fire to purify and welcome the New Year. In local lore the flames ward off the old year’s misfortune, with residents gathering to celebrate community and continuity in midwinter 1 2.
Venues and routes
Melville Square · Comrie
The dates that shape the visit.
Day still being verified
Onlookers gather on the banks of the river to watch as flaming torches are thrown into the water, a dramatic moment meant to cleanse and bring luck for the New Year 1
Spectators see glowing torches led by the Comrie Pipe Band sweep through the streets in a dramatic, atmospheric midnight procession 1 2
Reference notes for once this becomes a real plan.
Typical price: £0
High crowds