Big Hoolie St Andrews is the town’s St Andrew’s Day celebration, and the 2026 date is Saturday 28 November. Most people who know St Andrews know it for golf, the university and a sea-front walk.
Fewer people know it throws a street party for its own patron saint. A community market, an outdoor ceilidh, a torchlit procession and fireworks fill the last Saturday of November, two days before the saint’s day itself. And the town it happens in has the ruins of what Historic Environment Scotland calls Scotland’s greatest cathedral.
The setting is the point: a medieval cathedral, a clifftop castle and a 33-metre tower, all within walking distance of the procession.
Region: Fife, St Andrews
Best for: Torchlit parades, ceilidh reels, history walks
Getting there: Leuchars station, Station Road, KY16 0AA, run by ScotRail; the town centre is South Street
Time needed: A full day, from the market to the evening fireworks
Big Hoolie St Andrews: what is confirmed for 2026
The Big Hoolie website states that the event will return on Saturday 28 November 2026. VisitBritain lists it for the same date, describing torchlit parades, fireworks and ceilidhs. St Andrew’s Day itself falls on Monday 30 November, which VisitBritain lists as an official bank holiday in Scotland.
The event is organised by BID St Andrews and funded by local businesses through the BID levy. Since 2017, St Andrew’s Day celebrations have been organised by BID St Andrews, with VisitScotland and Fife Council Strategic Events as partners.
The 2026 programme and times have not been published. The recent pattern is clear from earlier years. In 2024, BID St Andrews announced a start at 11am, with activities across the day and into the evening, including a community market, live music, an outdoor ceilidh, a torchlight parade and fireworks. The 2025 event followed the same shape on Saturday 29 November.
Late November in Fife is dark by half past four, so the best of the day arrives with the light going. Wrap up well.
Where to Stay: The Albany Hotel, 56 North Street, KY16 9AH. It has 22 bedrooms, a bar and restaurant, and a south-facing beer garden, and it sits opposite the university.
Worth Knowing: BID St Andrews says the BID has organised the celebrations since 2017.
The daytime: market and music on South Street
The 2025 event ran a community market from 11am to 3pm at the West Port end of South Street, with live music from 5pm. Those are 2025 timings, so use them as a guide to how the day is built.
South Street is the main route through the old town, and the West Port, the town gate at its western end, is the natural place to start. Browse the market in daylight while it is still light, then work along South Street towards the evening ceilidh.
The 2025 event was described as free and unticketed, according to Calendar Customs.
Where to Stay: Hotel du Vin St Andrews, 40 The Scores, KY16 9AS. It has 42 rooms and suites and sits just moments from the Old Course.
Worth Knowing: The Big Hoolie website says local businesses fund the event through the BID levy.
The ceilidh, the torches and the fireworks
The evening is the reason to come. In 2025, the outdoor ceilidh finished at 7.45pm, and the torchlit procession and fireworks followed from 7.55pm to 8.45pm, according to Calendar Customs, which lists the ceilidh on South Street and says it welcomes beginners with traditional reels. That year the fireworks were at West Sands beach.
A ceilidh in the open air in late November is a cold, quick, noisy thing, and nobody stands still. Join in. The reels are simple, the music is live, and the movement keeps you warm until the procession starts.
Then the torches go up, and a line of flame moves through the old town.
If you like this kind of fire festival, our guides to Samhuinn on Calton Hill and Calan Gaeaf at Chirk Castle cover the Celtic fire season that comes before it.
Where to Stay: The Albany Hotel has a contemporary bar and restaurant, so you can eat before the ceilidh and walk back after the fireworks.
Worth Knowing: Calendar Customs lists the 2025 torchlit procession and fireworks as running from 7.55pm to 8.45pm.
St Andrews Cathedral: Scotland’s greatest medieval cathedral
The cathedral ruins sit at the east end of the town, and the Big Hoolie is the best excuse to see them. Historic Environment Scotland says a church dedicated to St Rule was likely built around 1130, and that work to make it Scotland’s greatest cathedral began in 1160 to 1162 under Bishop Arnold. A Celtic monastery existed on the site from the 8th century. King Robert I, Robert the Bruce, was present when the cathedral was dedicated in 1318.
A great storm in 1272 blew down the west front. The Reformation ended it. In June 1559, a Protestant mob wrecked the interior, and the site was abandoned by 1561.
Historic Environment Scotland lists opening hours from 1 October to 31 March on Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 4pm, with the last entry 45 minutes before closing. It is closed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, so the Saturday of the Big Hoolie falls on an open day. The grounds are free, but the museum and shop are currently closed.
Where to Stay: Hotel du Vin St Andrews is on The Scores, KY16 9AS, with the sea in sight.
Worth Knowing: Historic Environment Scotland records that a storm in 1272 blew down the cathedral’s west front.
St Rule’s Tower: 143 steps above the town
St Rule’s Tower stands within the cathedral grounds and is 33 metres tall, according to Historic Environment Scotland. Welcome to Fife describes the climb as 143 steps up a narrow staircase, with views over the town, the coast and the cathedral ruins.
The tower is the oldest part of the site, and Historic Environment Scotland suggests it may have guided pilgrims towards the shrine of St Andrew. Climb it in the early afternoon, before the market and the evening crowds fill South Street.
Where to Stay: The Albany Hotel is in the town centre, close to the cathedral grounds.
Worth Knowing: Welcome to Fife has 143 steps.
St Andrews Castle on the cliff
St Andrews Castle sits on the cliffs above the sea. Welcome to Fife describes its clifftop ruins as including underground tunnels, dungeons and a bottle dungeon. Historic Environment Scotland lists opening from 1 October to 28 March daily from 10am to 4pm, with last entry at 3.30pm, and closure on 25 and 26 December and 1 and 2 January.
Adults pay £8, and concessions and children aged 7 to 15 pay £6. The siege mine and counter mine are currently inaccessible. The site may close for weather or other reasons.
Go in the morning, so that you are out by 4pm and ready for the market and the evening.
Where to Stay: Hotel du Vin St Andrews is on The Scores, the street that runs along the clifftops.
Worth Knowing: Historic Environment Scotland lists a family ticket for two adults and two children at £29.
A day plan for Saturday 28 November
The sites open on the same Saturday, so you can fit them all in if you start early. The cathedral grounds and the castle both open at 10am and shut at 4pm, and the castle’s last entry is 3.30pm. The tower is inside the cathedral grounds, so the cathedral and tower make one visit.
Start at the castle at 10am, when it opens. Walk to the cathedral grounds, which are free to enter, and climb the 143 steps of St Rule’s Tower before midday. Then move to South Street for the market, which in 2025 ran from 11am to 3pm.
That leaves the gap between 4pm and the evening. The cathedral and castle are closed, the light has gone by half past four, and the ceilidh, procession and fireworks follow in the dark. Eat early, and use the gap to go back to your hotel for a layer.
Where to Stay: The Albany Hotel is at 56 North Street, KY16 9AH, in the town centre.
Worth Knowing: Historic Environment Scotland lists both the cathedral and the castle as open 10am to 4pm on Saturdays through the winter season.
Getting to St Andrews
Leuchars station, marked “for St Andrews” on National Rail, is on Station Road, KY16 0AA, and is managed by ScotRail. National Rail lists 150 parking spaces there and step-free access to all platforms. Leuchars is the station National Rail lists for St Andrews, so plan the last leg into town by bus or taxi.
On the night of the event, plan your return journey before the fireworks, and book your room early if you want to stay.
Where to Stay: The Albany Hotel takes bookings through its own site or on 01334 477737.
Worth Knowing: The Big Hoolie website states the event is organised by BID St Andrews.
Practical Tips
- Go on Saturday 28 November and plan for a full day, from the market at 11am to the evening fireworks.
- Climb St Rule’s Tower early, and visit the castle before 4pm.
- Wrap up with an outdoor ceilidh, and wear shoes you can move in.
- Use the AllTrails app to plan a coastal walk during daylight hours.
- Book a room early, since the Big Hoolie fills St Andrews on the last weekend of November.
- Plan your train and bus home from Leuchars before the fireworks start.
Responsible Visiting
Keep back from the torches and stay behind the stewards. Keep to the pavements when the procession passes. Spend time with the local traders at the market. Take litter home.
Reader Q&A
When is the Big Hoolie in 2026?
Saturday 28 November 2026, according to the Big Hoolie website and VisitBritain.
Who organises the Big Hoolie St Andrews?
BID St Andrews, funded by local businesses through the BID levy. It has organised the St Andrew’s Day celebrations since 2017.
Is the Big Hoolie free?
The 2025 event was described as free and unticketed. The 2026 programme has not been published.
What happens at the Big Hoolie?
A community market, live music, an outdoor ceilidh, a torchlit procession and fireworks.
Is St Andrews Castle open on 28 November?
Yes. From 1 October to 28 March it opens daily from 10am to 4pm, with last entry at 3.30pm. Adults pay £8.
Is St Andrews Cathedral open on 28 November?
Yes. From October to March, it is open on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4pm, and the grounds are free.
Where to Stay
The Albany Hotel, St Andrews. A 22-bedroom hotel at 56 North Street, KY16 9AH, with a contemporary bar and restaurant.
Hotel du Vin St Andrews, St Andrews. A 42-room hotel at 40 The Scores, KY16 9AS, just moments from the Old Course.
When the last torch is out, the cathedral ruins stand in the dark where they have stood since the 12th century, and the town goes back to being a quiet place on the edge of the North Sea.
