Hamish the Haggis puts on special family show for world’s largest Burns Night festival weekend
Big Burns Supper and its partners across Dumfries aim to serve up haggis, neeps and tatties for 5,000 in celebration of the bard’s birthday.
As part of the drive to get more people enjoying Burns Suppers, a special mascot Hamish the Haggis, has been touring local schools.
This weekend’s third annual Big Burns Supper is a three-day festival of music, performance, cabaret and comedy – along with the 1,000 lantern Homecoming Carnival.
Hamish will be hosting an interactive family show complete with intergalactic adventure, sing-along and children’s Burns Supper complete with haggis sausages and chips.
Then there will be 10-minute Burns Suppers hosted by Jane Brown, President of the Robert Burns World Federation and manageress of the Globe – the poet’s favourite watering hole.
Big Burns Supper will also be serving haggis, neeps and tatties at its spectacular Spiegeltent venue, which is also hosting a special Burlesque Burns Supper.
Graham Main, Director of Big Burns Supper, said: “Burns Night is all about great food, good company and lots of fun. And we are coming up with lots of different ways for people to enjoy a Burns Supper – and hope to see 5,000 served around Dumfries over the weekend.
“It’s especially important to make sure that families can enjoy this great Scottish tradition, which is why we are so pleased to have Hamish with us, offering something which is fun and memorable to a whole new generation.”
For Jane it was learning Burns at school which gave her a lifelong love of his work. She said: “I started reciting Burns’ poems at school, and my father was always quoting Burns too. Being manageress of the globe and attending all the Burns Suppers has only enhanced my love and passion for the bard.
“I found last year that the 10-minute Burns Suppers appealed to a wide variety of people, families with children of all ages, young people, and also the older generation.
“They all wanted to find out what Burns was about. I provide them with a tour of the Globe while giving them an Immortal Memory of Burns’ life including the Address to a Haggis where they get a haggis pie and each have to do a verse as they cut into it. The lassies are explained as they see the bedroom, poems are recited en-route as are some songs, and it is all finished off with a dram a toast and Auld Lang Syne.”
Robert Burns lived in Dumfries when he was at the height of his powers. The area inspired some of his greatest work and he loved the social life of the town.
BBS 2014 is a community-based event which involves a host of groups and individuals from around Dumfries and has rapidly built up a reputation offering a great atmosphere and giving a real boost in the lull after Hogmanay.
With Dumfries being in easy reach of the Central Belt and northern England, BBS attracts visitors from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Carlisle and many other places.
The festival is made possible by support from many organisations including Creative Scotland, Homecoming Scotland, Winter Festivals Burns Night, 8020 and Dumfries and Galloway Council.
Hamish the Haggis shows are on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 1pm in the Spiegeltent and tickets are £6.50 or £20 for families.
