Europe’s largest fire festival. Held in Lerwick on the last Tuesday of January, this event begins with a spectacular parade as Viking warriors and guisers march through the town centre with flaming torches, before a replica longship is set alight.

This torchlit procession and galley burning are reminiscent of pagan Norse rituals, where great chieftains were cremated with their treasures. The festival also marks the end of the winter solstice.