Copyright © 2009 - 2013 Up Helly Aa Committee
The Committee
The Up Helly Aa Committee consists of 17 volunteers who have been elected by the Guizers who participate in the festival. Annually, at a 'mass meeting', candidates present a case for their election and what they can do for the festival. There then follows a ballot of the guizers to determine who they wish to represent them on the Committee. The Committee consists of the Marshall, Guizer Jarl and 15 other serving members.
The Committee is responsible for organising the festival from year to year. This involves liaising with the emergency services, hosts and hostesses of the halls, the Shetland Islands Council and many other organisations to ensure all arrangements are covered.
The current Committee:
| David Nicolson |
Marshal, Guizer Jarl 2012 |
| Stephen Grant |
Guizer Jarl 2013 |
| Ivor Cluness | 2014 |
| Neil Robertson | 2015 |
| Mark Evans | 2016 |
| Lyall Gair | 2017 |
| Stewart Jamieson | 2018 |
| John Nicolson | 2019 |
| Liam Summers | Joint Honorary Secretary, 2020 |
| Neil Moncrieff | 2021 |
| Richard Moar | Joint Honorary Secretary, 2022 |
| Calum Grains | Treasurer, 2023 |
| Lynden Nicolson | 2024 |
| Ryan Leith | 2025 |
| Brydon Wright | 2026 |
| Graeme Garrick | 2027 |
| Robert Geddes | 2028 |
Marshal
The Marshal is in charge of Up Helly Aa on the last Tuesday in January. It is his responsibility to ensure the festival runs smoothly for the Guizer Jarl. After serving as Marshal he then steps down in October to provide a vacancy for the new Committee member.