Scotland’s best winter events 2026/27 – and how to get there
Winter in Scotland isn’t short of things to plan a trip around.
From Edinburgh at Christmas and Hogmanay to live music in Glasgow and light festivals further north, the calendar carries on well beyond the summer touring season.
For groups, the events themselves are only part of the planning. Busy city centres, road closures, timed entry and late finishes can all make transport more complicated than it first appears.
Here are some of the events worth having on your radar for winter 2026/27.
Edinburgh’s Christmas, November 2026 to early January 2027
Edinburgh’s Christmas brings traditional German-style markets, fairground rides, light trails and artisan food stalls into the heart of the city, centred around Princes Street Gardens and George Street.
It’s an easy event to combine with sightseeing, shopping or a group meal, which makes it work particularly well for private groups planning a full day or evening in the capital.
The city centre is busy throughout the festive period, however, and parking close to the main attractions is limited. For groups, agreeing a sensible drop-off and collection point before travelling is much easier than trying to arrange transport once everyone is already in the centre.
Exact 2026/27 opening dates and individual attraction times should be checked before booking travel.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, 29 December 2026 to 1 January 2027
Hogmanay is one of Edinburgh’s biggest events of the year, famous for its massive street party, live rock and traditional music stages, a torchlight procession through the Old Town, and a spectacular midnight fireworks display over Edinburgh Castle.
That scale also means significant pressure on the city centre.
Road closures, large crowds and restricted access all need to be taken into account, particularly for groups travelling back to hotels or accommodation after the main events.
A private transfer won’t take you to the middle of the street party, but it can make the journey in and out of the city much easier when collection points and timings are planned in advance.
Winterlight, Stirling, late December
Stirling’s Winterlight programme features festive light projections on historic buildings, local craft markets, and family-focused street performances, giving groups a good reason to look beyond Edinburgh during the festive period.
The city’s historic centre, castle and surrounding streets already lend themselves well to a winter day out, and seasonal events can easily form part of a wider visit.
Its central location also makes Stirling particularly practical for groups travelling from Edinburgh, Glasgow or further north.
For anyone building several stops into the day, travelling together avoids coordinating cars and gives the group one agreed schedule from start to finish.
Celtic Connections, Glasgow, January 2027
Celtic Connections is the UK's premier winter music festival, bringing together over 2,000 musicians for a massive celebration of roots, folk, traditional Scottish music, and world music. Gigs range from intimate acoustic sessions to large-scale orchestral collaborations across Glasgow each January.
The programme stretches across the city rather than sitting in one location, using venues from the grand Glasgow Royal Concert Hall to converted churches like Òran Mór, which gives groups plenty of choice but can also mean moving between different areas.
For groups attending a concert, combining several performances or travelling in from outside Glasgow, a private vehicle can simplify the beginning and end of the night considerably.
The 2027 festival is scheduled to run in January, with the organisers to release the full programme and individual venue details.
Burns Night, 25 January
Burns Night takes place across Scotland every 25 January, celebrating the life and poetry of Robert Burns with traditional Suppers that feature the cutting of the haggis, whisky toasts, poetry readings, and lively ceilidh dancing.
There isn’t one single event to travel to. Suppers, dinners, and performances take place in hotels, historic castles, and community halls across the country.
That makes it particularly useful for groups planning their own winter visit. A Burns Supper can be built into a wider Scottish itinerary rather than needing to dictate the whole trip.
For groups staying outside a city centre, private transport also means everyone can enjoy the evening (and the whisky toasts) without worrying about driving afterwards.
SPECTRA, Aberdeen, February 2027
SPECTRA transforms Aberdeen city centre into an outdoor gallery, bringing large-scale interactive light installations, architectural projections, and striking neon artworks by international artists into public spaces such as Union Terrace Gardens.
Aberdeen City Council has already commissioned the festival for both 2026 and 2027, although the exact 2027 dates are still to be confirmed.
It gives groups a different reason to head north in February, particularly when combined with an overnight stay or a wider trip around Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
As with any city-centre light event, timed plans and an agreed collection point are more useful than trying to keep a vehicle close to every installation.
Fort William Mountain Festival, February 2027
For groups drawn to Scotland for its landscapes rather than its cities, Fort William’s winter festival offers a four-day line-up of world-class adventure films, severe-weather photography workshops, and lectures from elite mountaineers, skiers, and outdoor authors.
The programme puts mountain culture and outdoor life at the centre of the trip rather than using the Highlands simply as a backdrop.
It also gives visitors a good reason to spend more than a day in the area.
From a transport point of view, this is where winter experience matters most. Longer journeys, changing Highland weather and limited daylight all need to be factored into the timings rather than treated as an afterthought.
Staying a little longer?
If you’re turning an event into a wider Scotland trip, there’s plenty to see beyond the festival or performance itself.
See 6 of the best places to visit in Scotland this winter, including Edinburgh, Glencoe, St Andrews, Loch Lomond, the Cairngorms and Speyside.
Getting your group there with Anderson Black
Winter events bring a different set of transport challenges from summer.
City-centre restrictions, late finishes, shorter daylight hours and changing road conditions all affect how a journey needs to be planned.
With more than 20 years’ experience on Scotland’s roads, our drivers know how to allow for those practicalities without turning the transport into the main event.
Our executive vehicles carry groups of up to 29 passengers, so everyone can travel together and work to the same schedule.
You choose what you want to see. We’ll take care of getting your group there.