Burns night is almost upon us, with many people looking forward to sitting down with family and friends to enjoy a dinner of haggis, neeps and tatties.
But if you’re looking for something a bit different, then you’re in luck as there are a few events taking place this month.
From cooking over fire to a kitchen takeover and weekend brunch, here’s our pick of the most unusual Burns night events taking place this year.
Glenapp Castle is inviting guests to celebrate Scotland's most beloved bard in the place that feels most fitting: the heart of Ayrshire, where Robert Burns was born and raised.
Taking place on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 January, The Spirit of Scotland: A Glenapp Burns Celebration is a two-night castle house party that brings together the rituals of Burns Night - poetry, whisky, music and conviviality - with the grandeur of a historic Scottish estate.
At the centre of the weekend is a Grand Burns Supper Banquet, complete with live bagpipes, the Address to the Haggis, a four-course traditional Scottish dinner paired with fine wines, and an authentic ceilidh with callers guiding guests through the steps. Bladnoch whisky flows throughout the evening, celebrating one of Scotland's oldest distilleries just a short drive away.
Beyond the supper, Glenapp weaves Burns’ life and legacy into the wider experience. Guests are invited to try their hand at archery on the castle lawns — a nod to Burns’ membership in the Royal Company of Archers — and to explore Burns Country using Glenapp’s guest cars, visiting landmarks such as Burns Cottage and the Burns Museum.
Exclusive to Glenapp guests, a Burns-inspired whisky tour and tasting at Bladnoch Distillery offers the perfect toast to the national poet.
Prices from £235 per person per night. Minimum two-night stay. Available 23 and 24 January 2026.
On Saturday 24 January, the beautiful Victorian surroundings of Dallas Dhu House in Forres will play host to an evening of traditional Scottish hospitality and whisky from independent bottler Murray McDavid.
Guests will enjoy a classic three-course Burns Supper, complete with haggis, neeps and tatties, thoughtfully paired with a selection of Murray McDavid drams chosen to complement the evening. From poetry to pours, it’s a relaxed and flavourful way to toast the Bard.
Priced at £59, it starts at 7pm for a 7.30pm dinner. Find out more here.
On Sunday 25 January, The Palmerston will host a kitchen takeover by renowned Bristol-based Korean restaurant Bokman.
Exclusively for the dinner, Bokman's owners Kyu Jeong Jeon and Duncan Robertson have created a three-course menu, mixing Bokman classics with one-off creations that combine Scotland's larder with Korean culinary heritage, ingredients and techniques.
To start, guests can enjoy Oysters with kimchi ice, Bokman salad (Chinese leaf and sesame salad with roasted seaweed and pine nuts), Gochu twigim (tempura-fried stuffed chillies), and Soondae (Korean-style black pudding with mussel salt).
Moving onto mains, guests will be served haggis joengol (a hotpot-style dish with lamb neck, lamb tripe, haggis, dried radish tops, perilla leaves and seeds, and hand cut noodles), alongside traditional Banchan (vegetable side dishes, pickles and kimchi) and rice. To finish, in a further nod to Burns Night celebrations, there will be whisky and matcha tiramisù.
Bookings are available from 6:45pm to 9:15pm, with the dinner costing £40 per person. Bookings can be made via email at hello@thepalmerstonedinburgh.co.uk.
Linn House, the picturesque and undiscovered ‘home of whisky’ on the banks of the River Isla in Speyside, will once again open its doors for a gastronomic celebration of Burns Night from Thursday 22 January to Saturday 24 January 2026.
Following the sell-out success of last year’s inaugural Burns Supper, the Linn House Supper Series returns with open-fire chef Ana Ortiz, who this year invites a special guest: Sameer Taneja, executive chef of the Michelin Starred Benares Restaurant, Mayfair.
Together, the duo will craft a completely unique take on a Burns Supper, marrying their distinct open flame cooking styles and culinary heritages.
From Ana’s smoky, soulful Ecuadorian techniques to Sameer’s refined Indian gastronomy, shaped by his Delhi upbringing and mentorship under industry icons Alain Roux and Pierre Koffmann, guests can expect a bold and expressive reimagining of one of Scotland’s cherished culinary traditions.
Each course will be paired with aged whiskies from Chivas Brothers’ whisky library - including favourites from The Glenlivet and Aberlour, as well as exclusive drams seldom available to taste.
Starting at £95 a head, the Linn House Burns Night Supper Series will open for dinner from Thursday 22 January to Saturday 24 January inclusive.
Each dining event can be booked in isolation, or for those seeking a luxurious Scottish escape, double rooms at Linn House can be booked for an additional £279. This rate includes bed and breakfast for guests wishing to extend their stay overnight.
Guests can secure their dining spot and purchase an accompanying overnight stay at Linn House, by visiting the event website.
Ondine Oyster & Grill at Seaton House in St Andrews are celebrating 16 years of Ondine on Saturday 24 January for Burns Night.
To celebrate Burns in style, chef Roy Brett and chef Lee Murdoch, together have created a tasting menu and a whisky pairing menu in collaboration with Kingsbarns distillery. There will be a piper and a traditional address to the haggis to officially celebrate 16 years of Ondine.
The menu is priced at £49 or £79 with paired whiskies. You can find out more and book here.
On Sunday 25 January, for one night only, two of Scotland’s most celebrated chef talents, Stuart Ralston (founder of The Aizle Hospitality Group) and Isaac McHale (chef oof The Clove Club**) will join forces for a four hands Burns Night dinner at Ralston’s Lyla Restaurant, Edinburgh.
With three Michelin stars between them, the two Scottish chefs will serve a ten-course tasting menu that pays homage to shared Scottish heritage: Isaac hailing from the Northern Coast of Orkney and Stuart from Glenrothes, Fife.
With the very best highlands and Scottish Isles produce at their fingertips, the menu will bring together classical French techniques and a mutual appreciation for international influences that span from Sichuan, Southwest China to central Japan.
The chefs will serve a whisky highball in the Drawing Room with kombu and burnt clementine, using a Scottish single malt as the base, before guests retire to the Georgian dining room dinner, including a ceremonial haggis dish.
Tickets are £225 per person and include a welcome drink.
On Monday 26 January, Roberta Hall McCarron will be partnering with modern, Leith-based whisky blenders to offer a fully festive Burns Night experience at Ardfern, an all-day cafe, bar and bottle shop, also in Leith.
The Burns Night dinner service will include a set menu of Game Scotch Broth; Shetland Mussels; Hare Haggis with smoked mash and bacon jam; and Rhubarb Cranachan Tart.
Introduced by Pete Allison, the co-founder of Woven Whisky, a pairing of three whisky based cocktails will run alongside the menu along with special drams. Rather than distilling their own spirit, Woven sources and blends high-quality whiskies from various distilleries on both sides of the hemisphere, offering a modern and diverse whisky experience.
To the relief of some, there will be no bagpipes and no address to the haggis. Reservations to be made via SevenRooms, for the £55 experience (food & drink incl.), from 5:30pm onwards.
The Leddie Hotel in Aberlady is celebrating Burn’s Night in true Scottish style on Friday 23 January, with a one-night-only themed supper in partnership with The Balvenie, Speyside’s award-winning single malt whisky distillery.
Honouring Scottish heritage, food and whisky in a relaxed and welcoming setting, the evening begins with a traditional piper welcome and a Balvenie cocktail on arrival, setting the tone for what promises to be a memorable celebration.
A four-course dinner then unfolds as a guided experience, with each dish thoughtfully paired with a Balvenie single malt.
Head chef Lewis Lane will showcase the best of seasonal Scottish produce, including North Sea hake to start, followed by traditional haggis, neeps and tatties, a Scottish cheese course and dark chocolate tart to finish.
Guiding guests through the evening will be Sean Fennelly, The Balvenie’s UK Brand Ambassador, sharing insight into the craft behind each dram. The night will also feature the Address to the Haggis, led in traditional style, with the piper returning to mark key moments of the celebration.
The evening concludes with a final dram, rounding off a Burns Night that celebrates Scotland’s rich culinary and whisky heritage, best enjoyed with good company and, for those who wish, an overnight stay.
The Burns Night supper is priced at £70 per person, including four courses and matched whiskies. A vegetarian option is available. Advance booking is recommended, with overnight stays available for those wishing to extend the celebration. Limited places available. Book via the website www.theleddie.com.
On Sunday 25 January, Duck & Waffle at St James Quarter will host a rousing celebration of Scotland’s national bard, pairing heartfelt ceremony with a playful, modern take on classic Scottish dishes.
The Burns Night menu showcases a celebration of classic Scottish flavours, beginning with fresh bannock served with whipped Scottish butter and sea salt, followed by a comforting Cullen Skink with Arbroath smokies and confit potatoes.
Starters include a rich Highland venison terrine with Aberdeen sauce, before moving on to Grandma Scullion’s homemade haggis, served traditionally with neeps, tatties and bree, a hearty Balmoral chicken with Bowmore whisky cream sauce.
The evening concludes on a sweet note with timeless favourites such as cranachan and an indulgent deep-fried Mars Bar with Irn-Bru ice cream.
Taking place from 5pm on Sunday 25 January, the set menu is £35 per person with an optional whisky pairing from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, priced at £20.
Lost Shore Surf Resort has collaborated with Fable Whisky to bring you the ultimate Burns evening.
Complete with a Fable Whisky art and whisky exhibition, a piper will pipe the haggis in to Lost Kitchen and there will be an official address of the haggis with a toast, followed by a themed menu in collaboration with Fable Whisky and Jason Wright and his team from Lost Kitchen at Lost Shore.
Tickets are £55 per person and the event will run from 6-11pm.
Find out more via the Lost Shore website.
If you’re looking for a fun way to celebrate Burns Night this year, head to Flight Club Edinburgh.
The lively fairground-inspired cocktail and Social Darts bar is honouring Burns Night with a twist on its bottomless brunch.
Flight Club’s two-hour Burns Night Brunch on 24 and 25 January includes a Scotch whisky cocktail on arrival, followed by a bottle of Prosecco or four bottles of beer, and bottomless sourdough pizza paddles.
Over the course of the two-hour brunch session, you’ll spend 60 minutes in an oche, perfecting your Social Darts skills, and the other half soaking up the atmosphere and raising a glass to Rabbie Burns (and your Social Darts champion) in the spectacular bar. Tickets are from £35 and can be booked via the Flight Club website.
Glasgow West End restaurant Five March will celebrate the Bard with a four-course Burns feast on Sunday, 25 January.
With afternoon and evening sittings, the stylish West End venue will offer a modern Scottish twist on the traditional menu while paying homage to Scotland's national poet with a piper and a toast to the haggis.
Five March will be partnering with Bruichladdie, the progressive Islay Distillery known for its innovative and non-conformist approach to whisky-making, to create a series of signature serves to accompany each course.
The Five March Burns Feast is £65 per person. Vegetarian and non-alcoholic options are available. For booking, please contact hello@fivemarch.co.uk or visit https://fivemarch.co.uk/
Discover the world of Japanese whisky with a guided tasting from the experts at Nikka in the intimate bar of Sticks’n’Sushi’s newly opened Glasgow restaurant.
Explore standout expressions including Coffey Grain, Miyagikyo, Yoichi and Nikka from the Barrel paired with mini maki, ebi bites and beef tataki.
The evening concludes with Nikka’s head of education joining the bar team to shake up bespoke cocktails - a must for whisky lovers.
Tickets are £35 per person and the event starts at 7pm.
