Northmavine Up Helly Aa is one of our 12 annual fire festivals here in Shetland, held between January and March each year.
Up Helly Aa is a superb spectacle, a celebration of Shetland history, and a triumphant demonstration of islanders' skills, spirit and community. It takes several thousand people 364 days to organise. Much of the preparation is in strictest secrecy.
The biggest secret of all is what the head of the festival, the 'Guizer Jarl', will wear and which character from the Norse Sagas he'll represent in each of the 12 Shetland fire festivals held between January and March each year.
Lerwick Up Helly Aa is the largest of our fire festivals, with around 1,000 guizers taking part in the evening procession.