St. Andrew's Day is a statutory Bank Holiday in Scotland commemorating Scotland's patron saint. St. Andrew's Day itself is on the 30th November every year. However, because in 2008, the 30th November is a Sunday, the bank holiday takes place on Monday 1st December.

In Edinburgh, St. Andrew's Day is seen as the beginning of the Edinburgh Winter Festivals season, which includes a variety of events around Christmas and Hogmanay.

The St. Andrew's Day celebrations usually feature a range of free events such as gigs in Princes Street Gardens.

There has been much debate about whether St. Andrew's day should be made a national holiday. The compromise reached came when the Scottish Government passed the St Andrew's Day Holiday (Scotland) Bill on the Eve of St. Andrew's Day in 2006. This added a bank holiday on or around - if St. Andrew's Day falls on a weekend - on 30th November. Employers are not obliged to give their employees time off.