Burns Night: 25 January

When it is

Burns Night is held on 25 January, Robert Burns's birthday. ^[1] In 2027 that is a Monday, so many suppers will be held on the weekend before or after: check the date of any event you book.

What happens at a Burns Supper

1. Guests gather for a drink. ^[1]
2. The haggis is carried in, led by a piper. ^[1]
3. Someone performs the poem “Address to a Haggis” over it, followed by a toast. ^[1]
4. Dinner is haggis, neeps (swede) and tatties (potatoes), usually with whisky. ^[1]
5. Speeches and readings follow, including the Immortal Memory, a tribute to Burns's life and work. ^[1]
6. The night usually ends with everyone singing Auld Lang Syne. ^[1]

Vegetarian haggis is widely sold if you do not eat meat; our guide to vegetarian, vegan, halal and kosher food has more on eating out.

Burns's places

• Alloway, Ayrshire: Burns was born here in 1759. Burns Cottage, where the first Burns Supper was held in 1801, the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum and the Brig o' Doon are all in the village. ^[1] Alloway is on the edge of Ayr, a day trip from Glasgow: see Glasgow day trips.
• Dumfries: Burns farmed at Ellisland near Dumfries, then moved into the town, where he died in 1796. The Globe Inn, his favourite local pub, holds Burns Night celebrations. ^[1]

Joining a supper as a visitor

Restaurants, hotels and pubs across Scotland hold ticketed Burns Suppers around 25 January. Book ahead, and check what is included (dinner, whisky, music) before you pay.

For winter travel in Scotland, see winter in Britain, our Edinburgh guide and the Highlands guide. Glasgow's Celtic Connections music festival runs at the same time: see Celtic Connections.

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