Up Helly Aa is held on the final Tuesday of January every year, and will see an army of more than 1,000 Viking warriors, known as the Jarl Squad, take to the streets.
For one evening every January, one island at the northernmost edge of Scotland is engulfed in flames. Up Helly Aa, a celebration of the Shetland Island’s Viking heritage, is one of the most spectacular events in Scotland’s annual calendar. It culminates in an incredible display in which more than 1,000 torch-wielding Vikings march the streets, before setting fire to a specially-built longship.
Although a number of events are held throughout the Shetland Islands in the early months of the year as part of the celebrations, the largest of these is held in Lerwick on the final Tuesday of January.
This will see an army of more than 1,000 Viking warriors, known as the Jarl Squad, take over the town, marching through the streets, visiting schools and hospitals, and meeting local dignitaries.
This is all a build-up to the main event. Once the sun goes down, the torch-wielding Jarl Squad parade through the streets and set fire to a specially-built longship in a spectacular display.
The event celebrates the influence of Nordic culture on the Shetlands, which are the northernmost part of the UK, lying just 140 miles west of Norway.
According to the festival’s official website, while Up Helly Aa is rooted in ancient tradition, it originated in the 1880s. It has been held almost every year since it was founded, having only been cancelled a small handful of times as a result of major events including the two World Wars and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Explaining the history of the celebration, the website said: “Since 1949, when the festival resumed after the war, much has changed and much has remained the same.”
It continues: “The numbers participating in the festival have become much greater, and the resources required correspondingly larger. Whereas in the 19th century individuals kept open house to welcome the guizers on Up Helly Aa night, men and women now co-operate to open large halls throughout the town to entertain them.”
A video posted on TikTok shows the true awe-inspiring scale of the event. The clip, posted by an account named Planet WTF, explains the festival, saying: “You might think a Viking army just rose from the dead, but no.
“This is Scotland’s Viking fire festival, Up Helly Aa. By day everyone looks normal. But when night falls the whole town switches into Viking mode.
“Helmets, fur capes, shields, the streets feel like a history film brought to life. Then the longship appears – a full Viking dragonship hand-built for months, with detailed carvings that look museum-grade.
“But it’s not made to sail – it’s made to burn. The town shuts off every light, thousands of torches ignite at once, wind from the North Sea bends the flames into long orange arcs, making the parade look like a moving river of fire.
“Then the Yarl, the Viking leader, raises his torch. Everyone thrown theirs at the ship. Wood cracks, flames climb the dragon head and blast into the sky, turning the night bright orange for a moment.
“And, while the ship keeps burning, the crowd quietly walks away, leaving the fire to finish the ritual.”
