It’s not only Hogmanay (31 December) that gives Scots an excuse for a party; Burns Night (25 January) is traditionally the time each year when Scotland’s Bard, Robert Burns, is celebrated on the anniversary of his birth.  Scotland is host to many events to mark the occasion, from music as well as a traditional ceilidh.  Revellers can top the night off with a plate of haggis, neeps and tatties and a dram of whisky. 
After enjoying the food, Scotland fans can then follow in the Bard’s footsteps across Scotland, including his birthplace, Alloway in Ayrshire – home to the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum – and Dumfries, which is home to places such as Ellisland Farm (built by Robert Burns as his home in 1788) and the Globe Inn pub (established in 1610 and regularly frequented by Burns and home to some fascinating memorabilia).

Ever wanted to host a Burns supper but not sure how?  Read on for full details.

For the full Burns Night guide check out https://www.visitscotland.com/things-to-do/events/burns-night/events-guide

Music

Celtic Connections

Various venues, Glasgow

18 January – 4 February 2024

Glasgow’s annual folk, roots and world music festival celebrates its connections to cultures across the globe, with over 2,100 musicians from around the world bringing the city to life for 18 days. During that time, there are concerts, ceilidhs, talks, art exhibitions, workshops and free events.  In 2024, the event also includes a Burns Supper on Thursday, 25 January at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.  This is a chance to don those glad rags and toast Scotland’s bard in style. A gourmet musical menu with much- loved exponents of Burns Song, Fiona Hunter and Sean Gray amongst other special guests will be hotting up the evening.

Various prices, including free events. Burns Supper event costs £56 per person. For more information: www.celticconnections.com

Burns & Beyond Festival,

Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh

25 – 28 January 2024

Burns&Beyond returns with free and ticketed events throughout Edinburgh city centre.  Highlights include the Assembly Rooms Festival Club with a programme of spectacular artists including genre-crossing composer and producer Anna Meredith, Mercury Prize nominee Nadine Shah, and a Burns Night of free-wheelin’ anarchy at the Callum Easter TV Special. Also included in the programme are Museum Lates: Big Burns Ceilidh at the National Museum of Scotland, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Ceilidh Events, delicious Burns Supper events and more.

Various prices, including free events. For more information: www.burnsandbeyond.com

Burns Night Suppers

Burns Supper at Prestonfield House, Edinburgh

25 January 2024

Prestonfield House returns with its legendary Burns Supper on Thursday, 25 January, providing an evening of fine dining and cultural delights. Guests will be greeted with a welcome drink before an indulgent three-course supper, accompanied by a mix of wit, wine, whisky and wisdom from the revered guest speakers. 

Tickets priced at £85 per person, bookable for pre-order via a form here. For more information:  www.prestonfield.com

Royal Yacht Britannia Burns Supper

The Royal Yacht Britannia, Edinburgh

26 & 27 January 2024

Be welcomed aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia by their own piper to experience an unforgettable Scottish evening. A delicious five-course menu will be served in the State Dining Room by Britannia’s butlers. Using the very best Scottish ingredients, dinner will be prepared by Executive Chef Mark Alston and his team in the original Royal Galleys.

Tickets are priced at £245 per person (inc VAT). For more information:  www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk

Experiences

Burns an’ a’ that

Stirling Castle

Saturday, 27 January 2024

In 1787 Robert Burns visited Stirling Castle, after which he returned to his hotel where he etched the now famous Stirling Lines.  Head to the castle that inspired these works to celebrate Burns an’ a’ that, why not have a go at addressing the haggis.

Price included in admission price.  For more information: www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/whats-on

Blazing Burns Spectacular

Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Alloway, Ayrshire

Friday, 26 January 2024

Celebrate Burns Night in the Bard’s Birthplace with a family-friendly ceilidh, musical performance and blazing spectacular.  Guests can grab their partners and take to the floor as Burns is celebrated with an evening of dancing, drinking, food and fire!

Tickets from £15.  For more information: www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/robert-burns-birthplace-museum

Burns travels

Locations with a Burns connection are fascinating and certainly worth visiting on a trip to Scotland, including the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, South Ayrshire.  There is also an opportunity to visit the home of Souter Johnnie, who was immortalised in a famous Burns poem, in Kirkoswald.  Other Burns attractions in Ayrshire include the Bachelors’ Club in Tarbolton, the 17th century thatched cottage where Burns established his debating club, and the Burns House Museum in Mauchline where Robert Burns lived and worked between 1784 and 1788.

Burns enthusiasts, or anyone simply interested in seeing a beautiful corner of Scotland, can take a trip to Dumfries & Galloway. Burns’ former home Ellisland Farm is now a museum where some of his original writings and possessions are on display.

A welcome sight for those in search of warmth and comfort (and perhaps a whisky), the Globe Inn in Dumfries is notable in that it is one of the country’s oldest hostelries and used to be frequented by Burns himself.  It is rumoured that anyone who dares sit in Burns’ old chair (which is still at the bar) is challenged to recite a line of his poetry and buy everyone a drink at the bar. 

Whilst in Dumfries, visitors can also spend an afternoon at Burns’ final home, Robert Burns House, on the aptly named Burns Street. Discover the famous Kilmarnock and Edinburgh editions of Burns’ work and take a look around the study where he wrote some of his best-loved poems.  The Burns Mausoleum, the final resting place for Burns, his widow Jean, and five of their children, is also only a short walk away in St Michael’s Kirkyard.

Robert Burns’ connections with Scotland’s capital have long been celebrated.  On 28 November 1786 when Robert Burns arrived in Edinburgh its gates were flung open to him. He stayed on Baxter’s Close in a house which has been demolished and is now Deacon Brodie’s Tavern on the Royal Mile.

Also based on the city’s Royal Mile, the Writers’ Museum has a permanent Robert Burns collection which is recognised to have national significance.  Displayed in the museum is a collection of portraits of Burns along with the writing desk from his Dumfries home at which he wrote some of his best-known work.  Whilst in Edinburgh, fans of Burns will be able to see one of the most famous portraits at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery - Alexander Nasmyth’s portrait of Robert Burns.

Hosting a Burns Supper

Along with haggis (a vegetarian option is also available, see Macsween haggis www.macsween.co.uk), neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes), here are the instructions for a perfect gathering on 25 January. 

(For access to the Burns works indicated, see www.robertburns.org).

To start – everyone gathers, the host says a few words, everyone sits and the Selkirk Grace is said.

The meal – the starter is served, the haggis is piped in (by a piper in a kilt naturally), the host performs Address to a Haggis, everyone toasts the haggis and the main meal is served, followed by dessert (cranachan is a great option.)

After the meal, the first Burns recital is performed, the Immortal Memory (the main tribute speech to Burns) is given, the second Burns recital is performed, and then there’s a Toast to the Lassies, followed by a Reply to the Toast to the Lassies, before the final Burns recital is performed.

To end the night – the host gives a vote of thanks, everyone stands and sings Auld Lang Syne, crossing their arms and joining hands at the line ‘And there’s a hand, my trusty fere!’.

For more information on Robert Burns, Scotland and Burns Night, visit www.visitscotland.com/burns

For more information on self-catering accommodation in Scotland in which to host a Burns Night supper go to www.visitscotland.com