The last Tuesday in January may seem an unlikely time for Shetland’s most spectacular annual event, Up Helly Aa.
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But the skies above Lerwick will be illuminated that night by around 1,000 flaming torches carried by guizers in elaborate costumes, following a Jarl’s Squad of Vikings and a splendid replica of a Norse longboat.
The boat, known as the galley, will go up in flames when those thousand torches are tossed inside its hull, and the gathered celebrants sing traditional Up Helly Aa songs to bid it farewell.
It’s a poignant moment in any Up Helly Aa festival, and a unique experience that many Scots have on their travel bucket list.
Experience fire festival season on Shetland
Inspired by Shetland’s Norse heritage, Up Helly Aa is an unforgettable event that stirs the senses.
While Lerwick is the biggest Up Helly Aa, it is one of almost a dozen fire festivals held across Shetland between January and the end of March. That means there are many opportunities each winter to experience Shetland’s warmest of welcomes and witness something truly spectacular.
Each fire festival is led by a Jarl’s Squad with a Guizer Jarl, the chief Viking, at the helm. This squad will have spent years preparing, including crafting a spectacular suit that they show off through the day of their Up Helly Aa.
Anyone visiting Shetland for Up Helly Aa can expect to see embossed leatherwork, intricate metalwork designs on helmets, swords and axes, and beautiful embroidery on the Vikings’ clothing, known as kirtles. Hours of effort goes into each suit, which is a closely guarded secret until the day itself.
In 2025 Calum Grains, from Whiteness in the West of Shetland, is Lerwick Guizer Jarl.
In his day job, Calum is chief executive of Lerwick Port Authority. But on 28th January he’ll be in full Viking mode, joined by friends and family including his daughter Colleen, son Ian, two brothers, four nieces and three nephews.
As well as the fiery procession, he is looking forward to seeing the streets packed with onlookers as the squad parades through Lerwick on Up Helly Aa morning.
Watch the livestream!
Such is the renown of Up Helly Aa, there will be visitors from around the world among the crowds. But those who can’t be in Lerwick can still get a taste of the action by watching the livestream from 7pm on Tuesday January 28 2025.
You can view this for free at uphellyaa.com or re-visit this page and you can watch the fiery procession live here.
If that whets your appetite for a Shetland Viking adventure remember festival season runs through to late March. Equally spectacular fire festivals bring communities across Shetland together from the South Mainland through to Unst, the most northerly inhabited island.
Tourists are always welcome to witness the procession and enjoy the sights and sounds of Up Helly Aa.
Will you make 2025 the year you strike Up Helly Aa off your bucket list?
Read more about Shetland’s fire festival season and enter a fantastic competition to win a return trip for four and a Viking Shetland tour here.
This Up Helly Aa content is sponsored by Promote Shetland.
Discover more about the Islands of Opportunity and Fire Festival Season, and to watch the fiery procession live head to uphellyaa.com at 7pm (GMT) on Tuesday January 28 2025.
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