What is Up Helly Aa?
Up Helly Aa celebrates Shetland's Norse past: the islands belonged to Norway until 1469. The festival in its present form took shape in the late 19th century, when the people of Lerwick replaced the rowdy rolling of burning tar barrels with an organised torch-lit procession. The first galley was burned in 1889.
Each year a different Guizer Jarl leads the festival in the role of a figure from the Norse sagas, with his Jarl Squad in hand-made Viking costume; building the galley and the costumes takes a whole year. In 2023 women and girls marched in the Lerwick procession for the first time.
When is Up Helly Aa? Dates for 2026 and 2027
2026
- Tuesday 27 January 2026Up Helly Aa in Lerwick
2027
- Tuesday 26 January 2027Up Helly Aa in Lerwick
Lerwick's Up Helly Aa is always held on the last Tuesday of January, and the organisers have confirmed 26 January for 2027. Smaller fire festivals are held in other parts of Shetland between January and March.
How people celebrate
- The torch-lit procession in the evening, ending with the burning of the galley.
- During the day the Jarl Squad visits schools, hospitals and care homes.
- All-night “halls”, where the squads perform sketches and dances until morning.
Good to know
- The procession is free to watch from Lerwick's streets; the evening halls need an invitation or a ticket.
- Shetland in January is dark, windy and cold: bring warm, waterproof clothes.
- Book travel and rooms early: ferries and flights to Shetland fill up for the festival.