The Dance of Flame and Frost at ‘Castle of Light: Fire & Ice’

Join us as we celebrate the beginning of a new year with a visit to Edinburgh Castle as we share some of our time during their last evening of the light projection spectacular, ‘Castle of Light: Fire & Ice’!

While our lead canine tour guide, Walter, couldn’t attend the ‘Castle of Light’ (dogs aren’t allowed inside the Castle grounds), he did enjoy posing in front of the event’s signage on the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade right before one of his walking tours started (all our tours start at the Witches Well which is next to the Esplanade). It’s also safe to say that he was enjoying the delicious smells emanating from the food trucks set up for the event.

We have attended Castle of Light a few times before, but it has been a couple of years since we last went. So, we thought it would be nice to visit again. As stated in our introduction, this year’s theme was ‘Fire & Ice’.

Scotland’s history and folklore is wrapped in layers of fire and ice, and we observed fascinating stories and light projections to highlight this contrast. For instance, we were regaled with stories from Y Gododdin (a medieval Welsh poem) of fierce Celtic warriors who experienced the fire of battles long ago here in Scotland.

We also experienced the effects of ice not only in the stunning light projections, but in real-life with the icy cold weather. Cailleach (also known as the ice queen or goddess of winter) has certainly done her job well as we are currently in the grips of a particular cold spell. In fact, it was one of the coldest nights of the season as we ‘explored and discovered’ the Castle grounds.

Historic Scotland (who oversee Edinburgh Castle) have said that the Ice Queen at this year’s Castle of Light took inspiration from the Cailleach (a Gaelic word pronounced kal-yuch with a soft ‘ch’ as in ‘loch’) to design her costume.

Yet, even in the deepest depths of winter, the light can shine through with a delicate dance between frost and flame. You see, fire and light have been an important part of the Scottish landscape for centuries. Acts of necessity often evolve into traditions and we can see examples of this in the many ‘fire’ celebrations across the country during Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve). One famous event in Edinburgh is the Torchlight Procession.

Juxtaposed alongside the vivid light projections at the Castle, real life light shone through as the moon displayed its own prowess (although the photos don’t do justice to what we saw in person).

Here are a few more photos for you to enjoy from our visit:

We hope you have enjoyed this wee journey and our experience of ‘Fire & Ice’. If you are in Edinburgh for the next holiday season, we highly recommend that you check out Edinburgh Castle and their ‘Castle of Light’ show. We can’t wait to see what their next theme will be. In the meantime, if you are looking for a little more light to brighten the darkness of winter, be sure to check out some of the other events we attended this season including ‘Christmas at the Botanics’ and the ‘Giant Lanterns at Edinburgh Zoo’.

As we continue to celebrate the start of the new year, we are thrilled to share more explorations around Edinburgh and Scotland with all of you. In fact, our next post will be an epic adventure led by our Golden Retriever explorers, Walter and Arthur. Its exact location is a surprise and all we will reveal is that it is in the Highlands and it’s a journey that will take you on land and water. Be sure to subscribe to our blog so that you get that article as soon as it is published.

You can also follow along with Walter’s and Arthur’s Scottish adventures on our social media platforms- Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, YouTube, and TikTok. If you would like them to help guide you around Edinburgh, one of them often accompanies our human tour guide, Sami, on our family and dog friendly walking tours of Edinburgh. Check out our homepage to see how you can book one of our award-winning tours!

Until next time- Explore & Discover!

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