January in Edinburgh

After the New Year party, Edinburgh settles into something quieter: frosty mornings, low winter sun on the Old Town and galleries you can wander without the summer crowds. It’s a lovely month for a short break, and there are a few traditions worth planning a trip around.

First Footin’ (New Year’s Day, venues across the city)

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay doesn’t stop at midnight. On New Year’s Day, First Footin’ fills venues across the city with a free, unticketed live music trail, and it’s the easiest way to ease into the year.

The Loony Dook (New Year’s Day, South Queensferry)

If you’d rather a bracing wake-up, head out to South Queensferry, where hundreds of people in fancy dress parade through the town and plunge into the Firth of Forth beneath the Forth Bridge, all to raise money for charity. Taking part or cheering from the shore, it’s a brilliant start to the year.

Edinburgh’s Christmas (until early January, city centre)

The Christmas market, the Big Wheel and the fairground rides stay open into the first days of January, so there’s still time for a mulled wine in Princes Street Gardens before they pack up. The family pantomime at the King’s Theatre runs on into January too.

Turner in January (every January, the National on the Mound, free)

This is one of Edinburgh’s loveliest traditions. Henry Vaughan left his collection of Turner watercolours to Scotland on the condition that they are only shown in January, when the light is at its lowest, and the gallery has kept that promise for more than a century. Entry is free, and it’s popular, so be ready for a queue at busy times.

Burns Night falls on 25 January, and for the last week or so of the month the city is full of Burns suppers, with haggis, neeps and tatties, the Address to a Haggis, a dram and very often a ceilidh to finish. Prestonfield holds an annual Burns Supper in aid of Prostate Scotland, and restaurants, hotels and the Scottish Storytelling Centre on the High Street all mark the night in their own way. Forever Edinburgh keeps a round-up each year. Burns suppers are popular, so it’s worth booking ahead.

Edinburgh Zoo’s Giant Lanterns (through the winter, Edinburgh Zoo)

On dark January evenings, the zoo opens after hours for a trail of giant illuminated lanterns. It’s a cosy outing for families, and just as good for two.

Edinburgh’s weekly markets carry on all year, so wrap up and make a morning of one. Edinburgh Farmers’ Market sets up on Castle Terrace under the castle every Saturday morning, with seasonal fruit and veg, locally sourced game and more. The Grassmarket Market runs every Saturday too, with baking, produce and local craftwork, and Leith Market is on Dock Place by the Shore on Saturdays, mostly food with a few local makers. On Sundays, head to Stockbridge Market on Saunders Street for street food and lifestyle stalls.

Edinburgh’s independent bookshops keep up a full programme of author talks, launches and book groups all year. Topping & Company, Lighthouse Bookshop and the Portobello Bookshop on Portobello High Street are the ones to watch, so check their events pages before you travel. A reading on a dark January evening, with a new book to carry home, is hard to beat.