Burns Supper Celebration at The Citizen
Once a year, Scotland stops what it's doing to toast a ploughman from Ayrshire. The haggis gets a speech. The whisky gets poured. And somebody at the table has a go at Tam o' Shanter, whether the room's ready or not.
We wouldn't have it any other way.
This Burns Night in Glasgow, pull up a chair at The Citizen. Join us on Monday 25th January 2027 for a proper Burns Supper in Glasgow city centre: traditional haggis, hearty Scottish scran and a wee dram for the Bard. All for £49.95 per person.
What Is Burns Night?
Burns Night is Scotland's big night for Robert Burns, born on 25th January 1759 in Alloway, Ayrshire. Farmer, poet, songwriter and, by the time he died in 1796 aged just 37, the voice of a nation.
He gave us Auld Lang Syne, A Red, Red Rose, Tam o' Shanter and an entire poem in praise of a pudding. Not a bad back catalogue.
More than two hundred years on, the world still raises a glass to him every January. Scotland just does it a wee bit louder.
The History of Burns Night
The first Burns Supper is the part of the story (almost) everyone agrees on. In July 1801, five years after the poet's death, nine of his friends gathered at Burns Cottage in Alloway, led by the Reverend Hamilton Paul. They ate haggis and sheep's head (the latter has since, fallen out of fashion), recited Address to a Haggis and sang his songs.
How the celebration found its way to January depends on who's telling it. As one version goes, the early Burns clubs, Greenock among them, held their first birthday suppers on 29th January, the date they believed he was born. A look at the Ayr parish records in 1803 is said to have put them right, and the 25th has stuck ever since.
Like all the best stories, it's been told a few different ways. We'll leave the fact-checking to the historians.
Burns and Glasgow
Glasgow has always had a soft spot for Burns. When his statue was unveiled in George Square on his birthday in 1877, more than 30,000 people turned out, and the day was declared a public holiday.
He's currently away being restored while George Square gets its makeover, but he'll be back. Until then, we're just round the corner on St Vincent Place, keeping a seat warm.
Why The Citizen Is the Place for Burns Night in Glasgow
Burns Night is a celebration of words. This building was built on them.
From 1842 until its final edition in 1974, our A-listed home on St Vincent Place housed The Glasgow Citizen newspaper. Its founder and editor, James Hedderwick, had a good eye for a poet. He gave the young Glasgow writer Alexander Smith his start, printing his early verse in the Citizen long before Smith found fame.
So poetry has been part of this place for a very long time. A Burns Supper under the roof where Glasgow's stories were once set in type? Some things just write themselves.
These days, the presses have made way for proper Scottish cooking, a whisky selection worth raising to the Bard and a welcome that's pure Glasgow, full of warmth, character, and cheer. With George Square, Buchanan Street and Queen Street Station all on the doorstep, getting everyone here is the easy bit.
Burns Supper 2027 at The Citizen: The Details
There's nae better way to celebrate Rabbie than with good food, great whisky and even better company.
Date: Monday 25th January 2027
Time: 6.00pm arrival for 6.30pm
Price: £49.95 per person
Where: The Citizen, 24 St Vincent Place, Glasgow G1 2EU
For all the details and to view the menu head to our Burns Supper Page
Burns Night FAQs
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Monday 25th January 2027. That's Rabbie's 268th birthday, for anyone counting. text goes here
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Haggis is the star of the show, traditionally served with neeps (turnip) and tatties (potatoes), and toasted with a dram of Scotch whisky.
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At The Citizen on St Vincent Place, a few minutes' walk from George Square and Queen Street Station. Our Burns Supper is on Monday 25th January 2027, and tickets are £49.95 per person.
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Yes. Burns Night is one of the busiest nights of our winter, so book early to get your table.
