Samhuinn Fire Festival 2026

Information

On Saturday 31st October 2026, Edinburgh’s Calton Hill will blaze with fire, drums and otherworldly performance as Samhuinn Fire Festival marks the dramatic death of Summer and arrival of Winter.

Hundreds of performers will transform one of Edinburgh's most iconic landmarks for a spectacular celebration of Scotland's Celtic heritage, bringing together fire-play, drumming, acrobatics, dance, immersive performance and elaborate costumes on Halloween night.

At the heart of this year's festival stands the Cailleach, the ancient Crone and Goddess of Winter. She reminds us that Winter is not simply an ending, but a necessary part of the cycle of life, death and renewal. Beneath her frozen cloak, the earth rests and gathers its strength, ready for life to begin again.

This Samhuinn, the Cailleach invites audiences to reconsider our relationship with darkness and the things we must eventually let go. Drawing on wisdom carried through generations of crones, she asks us to recognise the value of rest and sacrifice, and to find the courage not to fight the darkness, but to walk alongside it with wisdom and compassion.

Beside her, the Summer King and Winter Queen bring this ancient story into the contemporary world. A tired Summer King explores our culture of consumption and the consequences of continually demanding more, while the Winter Queen confronts personal and collective grief, learning that some things cannot be defeated, but can be carried together.

Their stories return us to the wisdom of the Cailleach: endings are part of living, rest is necessary, and Winter is not the end of life, but one of the ways life survives.

This Samhuinn, audiences are invited to gather around the fire, step beneath the Cailleach's cloak and join the turning of the Wheel, welcoming Winter with one of Edinburgh's most spectacular nights of fire, mythology and performance.

TICKETS

Tickets are only available from our authorised box office supplier, Citizen Ticket, and are not available for resale or transfer on any secondary market. Do not attempt to buy tickets for sale on other platforms - they will not be genuine.

Event Information:
FOOD & DRINKS
You are welcome to bring your own food and drink to the event, and we only ask that you do not bring any glass bottles/containers. Also Security will refuse entry if you are bringing an excessive quantity of alcohol (e.g. a giant slab of lager).

We have a small range of food concessions run by local businesses and serving a selection of delectables to keep you going. There will be vegan options available.

SEATING/STANDING/GROUND CONDITIONS
We do not provide any seating, attendees are welcome to bring camping chairs - but please follow the instructions of the Stewards and Security, there are some areas (or times) which chairs may not be appropriate. Please take everything you bring away with you.

The ground on Calton Hill is uneven and when its raining the grass becomes slippery. Despite our best efforts to have lots of fire and temporary event lighting - it is deepest darkest October and some parts of the park will be very dark

• wear sensible shoes (good walking boots)
• take your time moving around the site
• bring a torch/flashlight/lantern
• please help each other

For details of special access arrangements (including requesting a companion ticket and booking prearranged vehicle/taxi drop off please contact access [at] beltane [dot] org (after you have purchased your own ticket).

TOILETS
We have a small number of chemical toilets, please help minimise the queues by going to the loo before leaving the house.

There is also a stewarded wheelchair accessible portaloo located in the welfare/first aid area.

Please use them considerately and leave them for the next person as you would wish to find them.

Do not urinate on trees/walls/bushes/doorways in the park or in the city.

WASTE/LITTER/RECYCLING
There will be additional waste bins in the park for you to put in your waste.

We have Dry Mixed recycling and general waste, and all waste is sorted, separated and and processed for recycling off site.
Please help us minimize damage to the park by either binning your waste or taking it home with you - leave no trace!

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY:
Children/U16s
Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult with a ticket
Parents and guardians please note – this event contains semi-nudity and uninhibited behaviour, your discretion is advised.

We will ask for the adults name and number at the box office when purchasing children's tickets. Children will be given a wristband to wear with your details on them (look for the orange gazebo on your way onto the hill

Safer Spaces
Beltane Fire Society events operate within a culture of creating safer spaces built on mutual respect and consent. We expect all attendees to embrace this culture and to call out breaches – seek a steward if you see something which endangers our safer space.

BFS aims to provide a welcoming and celebratory atmosphere. Harassment of performers or other audience members will not be tolerated.

Being Around Fire at a Fire Festival
Help yourself by staying out of performance and production areas, which will be marked out with either ropes, barriers or fences with signs

• The event does include a lot of fire, although there wont be any big fire works
• Follow the directions given by BFS Stewards and technical crew
• Please avoid wearing synthetic clothes (but do wrap up for being outside in Scotland)
• Please try to observe a 2 meter minimum distance from performers moving or performing with fire.
• Familiarise yourself with where the medical assistance is (the ambulances near to the stage).
• The bonfire will be lit early on in the event and will be kept going by our fire stewards, follow their instructions and stay behind the crowd barriers
• Do not play with the fires, our volunteers have trained for months to be here this evening..

Use of Camera’s and Smart Phones

• Flash photography can be very distracting for performers, we ask that you switch off the flash on your phone or camera.
• Please do not hold your phone or camera in the faces of our participants, they are volunteers and do not enjoy close proximity interactions with phone and camera lenses.
• Drone use is not permitted on site and the police will be called should a drone come into the airspace above the festival.
• We would much prefer it if you kept your devices in your pockets and celebrated the festival with us with your hands free to clap and your eyes free to watch
• Do not walk backwards holding a camera/camera phone, the ground is uneven and you wont be paying attention.

Prohibited items
We do not permit members of the public to bring or use the following items on our event site;

• Large Bags/airport luggage - please no bigger than an A3 piece of paper: we do not have a cloakroom/left luggage.
• Glass
• Drums
• Loud instruments
• Fire Props
• Fireworks
• BBQs, Fire Pits or Fire Wood
• Flammable Liquids
• Dogs (Except Guide Dogs)
• Drones
  Random Search Policy will be in effect; the event safety team reserve the right to refuse admission.

LAST ENTRY - 9:00PM