Up Helly Aa

A bit of history

Lerwick’s winter fire festival grew out of something rowdier. Around 1840 young men began dragging burning tar barrels through the town at Yule, and clashes in the narrow main street proved so dangerous that special constables were sworn in, with little success. By the early 1870s the town’s youth had decided it was time for a change. A group of young intellectuals improvised the name Up Helly Aa, and the festival took on a Norse flavour: Viking touches appeared in 1877, a longship galley arrived in the late 1880s and the Guizer Jarl, the chief guizer, emerged in 1906. After the First World War a Viking Jarl Squad became a fixture. For generations the squads were made up of men, but in 2023 the committee removed gender restrictions on who could take part.

What happens on the day

The dedicated 2027 page lists morning appearances by the Jarl Squad and a procession starting at 7.30pm. Check that page again before travelling, since the published timetable is an outline.

A brief timeline of the day

Up Helly Aa isn’t only about torchlight. The official 2027 outline puts the Bill on show at the Market Cross during the day and includes a Jarl Squad visit to Shetland Museum — ideal if you’d like a proper look at the costumes and faces rather than squinting through darkness and fire. Check the dedicated timetable for the year before you choose when to arrive, as the committee’s general description gives slightly different approximate times.

The civic reception is another matter. The committee’s day guide makes clear it’s by invitation only, and the squad’s visits to schools, the hospital and care homes are community duties, not an indoor tour for visitors to tag along on. At the ferry-terminal photograph, stay outside the official cordon and leave the way clear for people using the terminal. Pick a public moment that suits you instead of trying to shadow every stop. One daytime appearance plus the evening procession makes a thoroughly satisfying visit, without treating the Jarl Squad’s whole schedule as public entertainment.

Finding a spot

The Bill is a proclamation with a very local sense of humour. The committee dates the first version in its recognisable form to 1899 and explains how practical instructions grew to take in jokes, satire and a painted headpiece. The painting usually draws on the Jarl’s chosen saga. Its contents are prepared in secret, with the lettering painted shortly before the day and the Jarl adding approval.

It’s a reminder that Up Helly Aa speaks to Lerwick as much as to outsiders. You may not catch every name or in-joke, but that’s no reason to write it off as decoration. Admire the artwork, read what you can and give others their turn at the front. The committee’s 2027 page gives the display period, so check it if seeing the Bill matters to you. Snapping a photo to read later can be kinder than hogging a spot while you decipher every line.

Joining in

Local volunteers build and paint the galley through the winter. The committee credits the present design to Lerwick boatbuilder James Smith, known as Boatie Jeemie, with its dimensions followed since 1949. Each year’s colour scheme complements the Jarl Squad’s costume and is kept secret until the public unveiling. The result is made for one community and one year — and then deliberately destroyed.

If you see the galley and squad in daylight, notice the finish and how the vessel and costumes go together. The committee also explains the work behind the hessian torches, made to burn the length of the procession; details like that add depth to the evening even from well back. The burning site itself is closed to both public and press, according to the official day guide, so plan to watch from the authorised public route. Photos and daytime displays don’t give you permission to wander into the working areas or the final enclosure.

Questions people ask

Where it is

The pin shows the approximate area. Open in OpenStreetMap