Up Helly Aa 2027
A thousand torches, one burning longship, at 60 degrees north.
Countdown to Up Helly Aa 2027
Dates
When is Up Helly Aa?
Up Helly Aa 2027 falls on Tuesday, 26 January 2027.
Last Tuesday of January: torchlit procession and galley burning on the evening of 26 January.
Date checked against uphellyaa.org
| Year | Dates | Length | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 27 January 2026Tue | 1 day | Past |
| 2027 | 26 January 2027Tue | 1 day | Confirmed |
See every festival by date in the 2026 festival calendar and 2027 festival calendar.
The story
What it is, and why it matters
- Type
- Fire & Flame
- Tradition
- Secular & Civic
- Where
- Lerwick, Shetland Islands
- Crowd
- Several thousand in Lerwick
- UNESCO
- Not inscribed
The last Tuesday in January, a town of 7,000 dresses as Vikings and burns a full-size galley in front of the town hall.
The guizer jarl leads a procession of 900 torchbearers through streets lit only by their own flames. The longship is set alight at the end, and as it collapses the squad sings the Up Helly Aa song — a tune with no known author.
Then the halls open. Every guizer squad has a hall, and the rule is that you cannot leave your own hall until the squad has finished performing. There are twelve halls, and the night ends sometime around 8am.
Culture
Traditions, food and music of Up Helly Aa
Traditions
What actually happens
- The Jarl's squad — a year of preparation for one procession.
- Torch procession — 900 flaming brands dragged through the town.
- Burning the galley — the longship, built over the autumn, destroyed in minutes.
- Hall-hopping — twelve acts per squad, and an obligation to stay until yours ends.
Food
The table, widened
- Hot soup and buttered rolls served in the halls from 1am.
- Cullen skink, reestit mutton and, earlier, the soup supper that opens the season.
Music
Sound of the crowd
Brass bands in the parade; fiddle and accordion in the halls. The song sung around the burning ship is the festival's fixed point and the only music that has not changed in a century.
Religion
Why this date
None. Up Helly Aa was invented in the 1870s by Shetland men returning from the whaling and herring fleets, partly to replace the older, more chaotic tar-barrelling, and partly as a winter antidote to dark.
History
How it survived
The first organised procession was in 1876, inspired by a Napoleonic Wars account of Norse funerals. Torches replaced tar barrels in 1889; the galley has been built annually since 1906. Eleven separate Up Helly Aa festivals now run across the Shetland calendar.
History
How it got here
The first organised procession was in 1876, inspired by a Napoleonic Wars account of Norse funerals. Torches replaced tar barrels in 1889; the galley has been built annually since 1906. Eleven separate Up Helly Aa festivals now run across the Shetland calendar.
1824
Tar barrelling
The older, anarchic winter custom of dragging burning tar barrels through the streets.
1876
First procession
An organised torch parade is staged, inspired by accounts of Norse rites.
1889
Torches
Burning tar barrels are replaced by the long-handled torches still used today.
Today
900 guizers
Eleven Up Helly Aa festivals run across Shetland between January and March.
Travel & practical
Visiting Lerwick for Up Helly Aa
Getting there
Fly to Sumburgh (LSI) or take the overnight NorthLink ferry from Aberdeen. Book in September.
Halls
Tickets to squad halls are sold locally and go fast. The Galley Field itself is free to watch.
Practical notes
Sunset is around 3:30pm. Dress for standing outside for two hours in wind.
Plan the trip with free AltFTool tools
FAQ
Up Helly Aa: common questions
Straight answers to what people ask most about Up Helly Aa.
Is it a Viking re-enactment?
No. It is a Victorian invention using Norse imagery, with a continuous tradition since the 1870s.
Can visitors attend a hall?
Yes, if you buy a ticket from the squad. Expect it to run until 8am.
Why the last Tuesday of January?
It replaced the older midwinter tar-barrelling, which was held at the end of the fishing season.
Also in January 2027
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