Up Helly Aa: Europe's biggest fire festival is held in Shetland
2025-01-28
Category: news

The streets of Lerwick are once again filled with fire and smoke as Shetland holds its world famous Up Helly Aa fire festival.The event, which is traditionally held on the last Tuesday of January, celebrates Shetland's Norse heritage.Thousands of visitors travel to the UK's most northerly islands each year to watch the evening torchlit procession through Lerwick, which reaches its climax when the replica of a Viking long ship is set on fire.Women and girls made history last year when they joined the main "squad" at the head of the procession for the first time in more than 140 years.
More than 40 groups, locally known as "squads", march through the streets of Lerwick during the evening torchlit procession at Europe's biggest fire festival.At the head of the crowd is the "Jarl Squad" led by its chief, the Guizer Jarl. Its members, who become Vikings for the day, wear custom-made suits, axes and shields. They also have to build their own replica galley - a Viking long ship - that will be set on fire at the end of Up Helly Aa. This year, they named it Byssen.For Calum Grains, who had to wait 17 years to take up his position as the 2025 Guizer Jarl, the last Tuesday in January is always a special day. "Up Helly Aa is such a great community event - it marks the end of that winter period and we are starting to look forward to the new year again," he said."It's one of these huge things that make Shetland unique."
On Tuesday morning, Calum led his 61-member squad through the streets of Lerwick to showcase Byssen to the crowds of onlookers before heading to the local care homes and schools to sing and dance for the excited audience. Once the darkness descended, the Junior Jarl Squad kicked off the evening festivities by setting their own long ship on fire. Shortly afterwards, all squads marched through the town to the tunes of the Lerwick brass band before torching Byssen. The celebrations then moved to the many community halls, where they continue until as late as 07:00 the next day.Laura and her friends travelled to Shetland for Up Helly Aa from Vancouver, Canada."We're looking forward to the procession as well as the hall parties," she said."The plan is to stay up all night because we heard it was rude to leave earlier. So we want to honour the tradition."