Have you had an invite to an upcoming Burns night ceilidh, or is there a wedding coming up with a barn dance band and you don’t know quite what to wear? Ceilidh’s are social occassions so it’s natural that you may want to dress up, but they are also rather lively and things can get a bit warm.
Most importantly, it’s best to have a pair of flat shoes. You’re going to be dancing – a lot – and it’s not like disco dancing. You may be swinging, turning, reeling and galloping around the dancefloor! Flip flops or can work but aren’t ideal – the dances are lively and feet can get trampled underneath a pair of size 13s. I don’t recommend bare feet for dancing – it will only take one broken glass to ruin your evening. Similarly heavy hobnail boots can be a bit anti-social.
It’s going to get hot – even on Burns night in January – and you will be surrounded by other people, so make sure your have light breathable clothes on. You probably want natural fibres rather than synthetics.
For more formal Scottish Ceilidhs the men may wish to wear kilts with kilt jackets, or tartan trews. Ladies would wear Cocktail length dresses rather than anything longer as longer dresses will be restrictive when dancing.
If it’s advertised as a Barn Dance rather than a ceilidh, put on a checked shirt, cowboy hat and jeans and you won’t go far wrong.