A night to celebrate Robbie Burns’ birthday

THE Great Scottish ploughman poet Robert Burns’ birthday will be celebrated in a night of music, song dance and the Address to the Haggis.

Hosted by the Mechanics’ Institute, the event brings together Ballarat’s talent to present a Burns Supper on 25 January from 6.30pm, exactly 260 years to the day of his birth in Ayrshire, Scotland.

The Great Hall, now the Minerva Space, recorded a similar event in 1886 and this magnificently refurbished dance floor will again support folk dancing, the squeal of the pipes, and other Scottish traditions.

Ballarat Toastmaster and MC for the event, Andy Dunwoodie said the night promised to be a fun-filled look back.

“Scottish migrants during the goldrush days played a huge roll in the early growth of Ballarat,” he said.

“His statue in Sturt Street, seems to look down at one when passing, this being the very first of the many marble statues that grace our grand city.”

A fully catered supper will be served during the night and people are encouraged to bring their soft shoes to join in the Ceilidh dancing.

The bar will be open.

Tickets to the event are $55 public, children under 16 are $25, and it’s $50 for BMI and Art Gallery members. Tickets are available at the BMI Library by phoning 5331 3042.