Join in a celebration of poet Robert Burns and celebration of Scotland as the Rainbow Centre present their first Burns Night Supper & Dance in Southampton on January 27th. The Rainbow Centre have had an annual Burns Night celebration in Fareham, but this will be the first held in Southampton.
Robert Burns is a legend in Scotland, but celebrations of Burns extend much further than just north of the border. As a poet and songwriter, Burns is responsible for the fame of Auld Lang Syne - a song which is equally moving whether it's sung by a choir or a chanting rugby team. Some of his other well known works are Red, Red Rose and The Battle of Sherramuir, but the work that has had one of the largest impacts is Address to a Haggis. The poem is Burns' ode to haggis, Scotlands famous sheep's pluck pudding, and it forms the central moment of any Burns Night celebration.
Tickets for the evening are £27.50 per person. This includes the regular Burns Night celebrations, a tot of whisky to toast the haggis, a two-course meal and coffee, shortbread and a cheese board to end the meal. The evening doesn't stop there, at the end the Woodsiders Ceilidh Band will lead the traditional Scottish dancing. You don't need to have any prior skills, the caller will lead you through the steps to teach you the different dances.
The evening begins with the piping in of the haggis, before the speaker recites a lively 'Address to a Haggis'. The haggis is then toasted before being served as part of the meal, in this case it will be served alongside we' bashit neeps an' champit tatties (that's mashed or creamed potatoes and turnips to those who don't speak Scottish).
Burns' poems and songs are celebrations and Scotland, and Burns Night celebrations as much about the poet as they are about the country.
Tickets can be purchased online from the Rainbow Centre website. Tables can seat up to 10 guests. The evening will run from 7pm until 11.30pm at Southampton Solent University's The Spark.