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Celebrate the Ploughman Poet in Penticton in style

The Penticton Scottish Festival’s annual Robbie Burns fundraiser returns
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Bob MacMillan raises a toast to Robbie Burns at the celebration for the 261st birthday of the Scottish Bard in 2020. (Brennan Phillips - Western News)

It’s almost time to give a toast to the Ploughman Poet and dig into some fresh haggis to celebrate the 263rd birthday of Robbie Burns.

The Penticton Scottish Festival’s annual Robbie Burns dinner returns on Jan. 21 for its seventh year, after taking a year off in 2021 due to the pandemic.

The dinners in 2019 and 2020 were both sold-out fundraisers for the festival, with over 240 guests attending the 260th birthday celebration in 2019.

In 2021, the Penticton Scottish Festival Society instead put together a special series exploring Scottish culture in the Okanagan that was broadcast on Shaw Spotlight’s Penticton channel.

The series featured seven hour-long episodes that included segments of Highland, Scottish Country and Irish dancing, youth and adult pipe bands, Scottish food demonstrations, Scotch tasting workshop, how bagpipes and tartan kilts are made, and how and why Scots celebrate the poetry of Robert Burns.

READ MORE: Explore Scottish culture with new Penticton television series

On Jan. 25, people can learn about Robbie Burns in-person, and celebrate themselves with a full evening of poetry, music, dancing and, of course, haggis. There will also be non-haggis and vegetarian options available for non-fans of the subject of Burns’ well-known Address.

Doors at the Penticton Lakeside Resort open at 4;30 p.m. on Jan. 21, with the entertainment starting at 5:30 p.m. and then dinner around 6, following the Address to the Haggis.

Tickets are available for $70, with children aged 4 to 11 for$25 and kids under four free. A table of ten is also available for $625 until Jan. 7, and can be purchased from the Penticton Scottish Festival’s website.

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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Brennan Phillips

About the Author: Brennan Phillips

Brennan was raised in the Okanagan and is thankful every day that he gets to live and work in one of the most beautiful places in Canada.
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