SAMHUINN FIRE FESTIVAL

WHAT: SAMHUINN FIRE FESTIVAL
WHERE: CALTON HILL, WATERLOO PLACE, EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND, EH7 5AB
WHEN: THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBER 2019, 7PM-12AM
COST: TICKETED EVENT

Like the rest of us this Halloween are knee-deep in vampire capes, witches’ hats and fake blood, there is more than trick or treating happening in Edinburgh and it’s called Samhuinn Fire Festival.

This November, the festival returns to Carlton Hill in Edinburgh, for the first time in several years and the hosts, Beltane Fire Society, has promised that this year’s show will be bigger and better than ever. The festival celebrates the Celtic New Year and is a huge festival to mark the end of the summer and to welcome in the Winter. This unique version of Halloween is one of Edinburgh’s biggest winter festivals, and the stage and setting are on the top of Calton Hill, providing more space and a bigger playground for the hundreds of performers, drummers and most important loads of fire.

As the winter nights become longer, it is believed that this is the time when the veil between this world and the next becomes very thin. As the locals turn to face the Winter, hundreds of unworldly creatures awaken and gather to witness the dramatic standoff of the Summer and Winter kings with the mysterious Callecach ultimately deciding each king’s fate.

Tickets for the event cost £8.80 for adults in advance and £10 on the day, Children £4.40 in advance and £5 on the day, children under 5 years go free.

Please note that all way through the evening there will be loud noises mostly in the form of drumming along with some flashing lights in the form of pyrotechnics and flash photography.

The performers will be in character and mingling amongst the audience throughout the evening. Please also bear in mind that there will be some partial nudity, as a pagan festival, so whilst families are welcome to the event, this should be done at the parent’s discretion. There will be a special family Samhuinn event hosted on Saturday 26^th October, a fun-filled afternoon of storytelling and drama games.

Calton Hill involves a sloping ascent and the festival takes place in the dark it is advised to attend with a friend and arrive early as the hilltop can become quite crowded.

Try something different this Halloween, get up close and personal to witness the spectacular struggle between the seasons and the vivid mix of drumming, aerobatics, fire dancing, and vibrant costumes bringing a fiery twist to Halloween night.