Grammy and Brit-award winning rock band Wet Leg will be spearheading efforts to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations after last year's bad weather cancellations.
Edinburgh-born singer-songwriter Hamish Hawk will also be performing at the annual 10,000-capacity “Concert in the Gardens” in West Princes Street Gardens.
Glasgow band Lucia & the Best Boys, who previously supported Scots singer Shirley Manson’s band Garbage on their European tour, will also be appearing at the event.
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It will be hosted by award-winning stand-up comic Susie McCabe, who will lead the countdown to midnight.
The line-up for the Concert in the Gardens has been unveiled under plans to reboot the city’s new year festivities after all of the festival’s major outdoor events fell victim to several days of high winds and extended weather warnings. Scottish pop-rock band Texas were due to headline the Concert in the Gardens last year.
Tickets have already gone on sale for the traditional torchlight king’s procession through the city centre, a Night Afore Hoolie concert which will be headlined by the Hebridean rock band Peat & Diesel and the main Hogmanay party on Princes Street.
Wet Leg, who have been hailed as “one of Britain’s most exciting bands” by organisers of the Hogmanay celebrations, have been confirmed as headliners after a year which has seen the Isle of Wight-based outfit claim the top spot on the UK chart with acclaimed second album Moisturizer the week it went on sale in July.
Their self-titled debut album, which was released in 2022, was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, and won two Brit Awards and two Grammy Awards.
The band, fronted by singer Rhian Teasdale, played a sold-out show at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh in May as part of a sold-out UK tour before they went on to perform at several summer festivals, including Glastonbury and TRNSMT in Glasgow. They will be appearing in Edinburgh weeks after two shows at the O2 Academy in Glasgow in November.
A spokesperson for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festival, which is produced by Unique Events and Assembly on behalf of the city council, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Wet Leg to headline this year’s Concert in the Gardens.
“It promises to be a night of incredible music and celebration that will have everyone dancing into 2026, not forgetting one of the world’s great New Year firework displays from Edinburgh Castle. It’s going to be a cracker.”
Hamish Hawk, whose third album A Firmer Hand was released last year, has previously performed in West Princes Street Gardens supporting Simple Minds in 2022 and at a Final Fling event in the gardens on New Year’s Day in 2023.
The singer also had a sold-out appearance at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh earlier this year, and recently appeared at the Fringe by the Sea festival in North Berwick and the Edinburgh International Book Festival, with an intimate show honouring the poet, musician and singer-songwriter Ivor Cutler.
Hawk said: “I'm properly excited to be asked to perform at this year's Hogmanay celebrations. As a local and a street party-goer, I know how big a gig it is, and the size of shoes we need to fill, but we're well up for the challenge! It's a privilege to be asked - 2026 is shaping up to be a good one.”
Lucia & The Best Boys, who will be opening the Concert in the Gardens, said: "We’ve all got great memories of Edinburgh Hogmanay so we are all buzzed to be part of the line-up this year. We have so many exciting things coming next year and this will be the perfect way to kick it off."
Margaret Graham, culture convener at the city council, said: “Our Hogmanay celebration is not just an Edinburgh tradition, we’re known worldwide as the place to be to bring in the bells.
“It will be wonderful to welcome Wet Leg to the Capital for their Hogmanay debut, performing what I’m sure will be an electrifying set packed with iconic tracks from their chart-topping albums.
“With Scotland’s own Hamish Hawk and Lucia & The Best Boys joining them, I’m delighted that this year’s Concert in the Gardens will have a strong Scottish supporting line-up.
“As the home of Hogmanay it promises to be the ultimate party to welcome 2026. With such a great night of music and unbeatable views of midnight fireworks over Edinburgh Castle, gig-goers are sure to have an unforgettable celebration.”
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