Burns Night is the perfect time to visit Scotland and celebrate with a ceilidh!
He may be 260, but he’s not doing too shabby: Robert Burns – Scotland’s national bard – is celebrated every year on would have been his birthday, 25 January, and which is now known as Burns Night. Scots and visitors alike can toast his legacy and celebrate Scotland with a wee dram and a traditional Burns supper of haggis, neeps and tatties.
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).
What’s more, Scotland plays hosts to many Burns Night events in January, including Burns and Beyond – a brand new festival running through out Edinburgh from 22nd to the 27th January 2019 celebrating Scottish culture from Burns to the present day. Highlights of events include Museum of the Moon at the iconic St Giles Cathedral on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile: a new touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram which is a fusion of lunar imagery, moonlight and surround sound. Measuring seven metres in diameter and featuring detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface. Also featured in Burns and Beyond is Red Red Rose Street, a week of celebrations in the city centre that includes a Burns Supper, a free family Ceilidh and Burns Club comedy nights.
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