Up Helly Aa

This truly is a day you will never forget! It involves a series of marches and visitations, culminating in torch lit procession and Galley burning. There then follows hours of performing acts and dancing in halls throughout the evening and early morning.

Up Helly Aa is many things to many people, throughout the day there are experiences a plenty to be had by all from the celebration of our history, the sight of the Guizer Jarl, his Jarl Squad marching through the town followed by his galley to the evening party atmosphere in the halls.

The first sighting of the Guizer Jarl and Jarl squad is early morning when they march through the town. The Jarl squad all gather for breakfast at an arranged location before starting their marching at 8:30am.

After a lot of fun and following the burning of the Galley, the halls are open welcoming the guizers as guests ~ the routine is the same in every hall. The squad arrives, performs their act, the guizers have a dance with a lady from the hall before saying ‘Thank you’ and ‘Goodnight’ and then leave to repeat the same process in the next hall!

Visiting the halls starts at 9pm on Tuesday and finishes at 8am on Wednesday. Wednesday is a public holiday which allows for recovery!

There will be no postponement for weather. That's a defiant boast by Shetland's biggest fire festival considering it's held in mid-winter on the same latitude as southern Greenland. But it's true: gales, sleet and snow have never yet stopped the Up Helly Aa guizers of Lerwick from burning their Viking galley - and then dancing the dawn away.

You do not need tickets to watch the morning marching or evening procession. Everyone stands on the pavements alongside the roads.

Tickets for the Town Hall will go on sale between Christmas and New Year. Please note there is limited availability and tickets are issued on a first come first served basis.

PLEASE NOTE: You need to contact us in December via the web site to register an interest and request tickets for the Town Hall.