Thousands of Shetlanders paid a fiery tribute to the spirits of their Viking ancestors during this year’s Up Helly Aa festival.
The spectacle, which attracts visitors from around the globe, takes place in Lerwick on the last Tuesday of January every year.
Extinguishing street lights and igniting a bright flare, the pitch-black skies of Shetland were suddenly ablaze with an orange haze.
With the 854 paraffin-soaked torches alight, smoke billowed across the crowds of visitors who aligned the street for the Highland festival.
Burning a magnificent galley to cinders in spectacular Up Helly Aa fashion, 979 guizers, divided into 47 squads, completed a final circle before tossing their torches on board the vessel.
The galley, which took months of careful craftsmanship by a team of 30 volunteers, erupted into an impressive inferno that warmed the hearts of the chilly Vikings and the frostbitten crowds.
Have a browse of our picture gallery on the Press and Journal website.
