Each year, on the last Tuesday in January, the Vikings come to town! Up Helly Aa is a Viking-themed festival that is celebrated in most cities in the Shetland Islands. However, the biggest festivities take place in Lerwick, paying a tribute to the islanders’ Viking heritage (Vikings controlled the archipelago for over 500 years until 1468).
Self-proclaimed as Europe’s largest fire festival, the 24-hour event features performing acts, marches, and a torch-lit procession. The festival culminates with the throwing of the torches into a Viking longship and watching the galley burn in the dead of night.
