Up Helly Aa — the Viking Fire Party
To see in Lerwick, around the night of the torches: three real and verified places, in the city itself of the festival.
Up Helly Aa lasts only one day — but Lerwick and the Shetland deserve to be kept in mind. Here are three real and verified places, in the city itself of the festival, to combine with the night of the torches.
Shetland Museum and Archives
In Hay's Dock, in the centre of Lerwick, the Shetland Museum tells 6,000 years of history of the archipelago: geology, fishing, crofting, textiles — including fine lace and Fair Isle knits, famous all over the world — and the oil epic of the 1970s. Its boat hall, on three levels, suspends traditional sailing boats above visitors, and its workshop restores the ancient boats before your eyes. The Jarl Squad made its stopover there the afternoon of Up Helly Aa, at about 3:30 pm. The archives, they keep documents dating back to 1490.
Broch of Clickimin
A few minutes' walk from the city centre, on the edge of the Clickimin Loch, stands one of the best preserved brochs in the Shetland: a round tower of dry stone of the Iron Age, surrounded by its enclosure and its block house, originally built on an island connected by a stone pavement. It is read, layered after layer, a bronze-age farm, a fort and then the broch itself. The site, maintained by Historic Environment Scotland, is in free access — a 2,000-year dive back, perfect to wait before the night of flames.
Up Helly Aa Exhibition
From May to September, the Galley Shed of St Sunniva Street, the very hangar where the galley and torches are built in winter, becomes the exhibition of the festival: a life-size galley, the spectacular costumes of the Jarl Squads, the memories of the squads and a rich collection of photographs of past editions. According to the festival committee itself, it is the best way to discover Up Helly Aa out of season — and to measure the work of an entire year of volunteers.
Good to know
Accommodation and crossings are booked very early for the week of Up Helly Aa: Lerwick is a small capital, and the party attracts visitors from all over the world. The day after the festival is a local holiday — take advantage of it to visit the museum and broch without rushing.