Burns Night in London

This week, on Tuesday 25 January, many Scots and other Brits will be celebrating Burns Night. The date was the birthday of Scottish poet Robert Burns, and is used to commemorate his life and his great works of poetry. These celebrations are most common in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but you’ll find some shindigs in London too!

There are several venues serving up a Burns supper, with plenty of Scotch whiskey and traditional haggis on the menu. If you’re in the Camden area, track down the Rambling Restaurant. It’s a pop up supper club, where the location is not revealed until you’ve made a booking. Has it piqued your interest? Book a cab in Camden on the night and you’re in for a great time. And you don’t have to be from Scotland to participate.

Several places around the city have festivals that are running all week, so you can drop in whenever is good for you. If you head to The Alma in an N1 taxi after 7pm tonight or tomorrow night, you can catch a range of events, including music and quizzes. Prepare yourself for kilts and bagpipes this week; everything Scottish will be celebrated!

At Hammersmith Town Hall, you can experience a proper Ceilidh on Friday and Saturday nights until 5 February. Tickets are £25 each (or £13 concession), and that includes a buffet of traditional Scot recipes along with three hours of organised dancing. The ‘Address to the Haggis’ is also recited, so you’ll really get into the spirit of it.

Of course, if you’re not into the works of Robert Burns and the idea of haggis doesn’t set your mouth watering, there are plenty of other things to do. This is the capital of the United Kingdom: you’re spoiled for choice!