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Although many communities in Shetland have their own Up Helly Aa festivals, by far the largest is held in Lerwick on the last Tuesday in January. It is a point of pride that the event is never postponed for the weather. The day follows a strict timetable starting with a proclamation at 0630 at the market cross. During the morning a Viking galley, painstakingly constructed over the previous months to an exacting design, is placed on show and the year’s Guizer Jarl and his squad parade through the town. They then spend the day visiting primary schools, hospitals and old people’s homes. In the evening the galley, accompanied by a torchlight procession, is brought to the King George V playing field where, following various rituals, it is set alight. The action then moves to a series of a dozen ‘halls’ around the town which host an overnight party for those lucky enough to get tickets. Each hall is visited in turn by the guizer squads, consisting of about twenty men, who put on a short comedy act in masks and costumes, which may feature topical events or in-jokes. The whole event is both impressive and great fun and unsurprisingly the following day is regarded as a holiday in Shetland.