Dig out the tartan and prepare to join the celebrations. Burns Night events are popular in the North East and each year suppers take place regionwide so that everyone can join in the Scottish tradition of feasting and fun.
Burns Night, January 25, celebrates Scotland’s national bard Robert Burns on what was the date of his birth in 1759 and annual get-togethers are centred around a traditional meal of haggis plus neeps and tatties (for the uninitiated that’s turnips or swedes and potatoes) plus a tot or several of whisky. And, given how much Geordies love a party, it’s no surprise that the tradition of full-on Burns Night Suppers have been enthusiastically adopted here.
Burns Night falls on a Saturday this year, making it an ideal opportunity to focus celebrations on the big date itself for once – although some take place around it – and preparations are currently under way at a range of venues for suppers that include toasts and entertainment such as ceilidh bands and bagpipes.
Here is the new version of our annual guide to where people can go to mark the occasion around Newcastle and the wider region too. It includes a mix of venues from city restaurants and hotels to pubs in Northumberland; a visitor attraction in Whitley Bay and a County Durham castle. And watch this space as we will be adding to our guide if more events are confirmed.
Robbie Burns gave us Auld Lang Syne which started off an annual tradition across Britain
(Image: Hulton Archive)
Anyone who is vegan or vegetarian will find they can join in too as many venues have non-meat options available upon request. As usual, the best advice is to book up early to be sure of securing tickets. And for more about the background to Burns Night see here.
Burns Night Suppers 2025
Blackfriars
The Newcastle restaurant has set its own tradition for hosting Burns Night suppers and on January 25 it again will serve up all the usual favourites of of cock-a-leekie soup, haggis, neeps and tatties followed by cranachan and cheese. The event also includes a whisky tasting: a tot with each course no less, as well a dram to accompany the odd toast and Burns’ poem, so that’s quite some tasting and should have everyone in lively form for the traditional singing of Auld Lang Syne.
Ahead of the meal – which will be served in the historic restaurant’s fine Banquet Hall – a tribute will be paid to the great Scottish poet and romanticist with a Selkirk Grace then the address to, and cutting of, the haggis. Guests are invited to arrive at 7pm. To book tickets, costing £69.50, see here.
In addition, for those wanting to splash out, there also will be a Chef’s Table Burns Night event at 7pm the previous evening, January 24. In the restaurant’s Cookery School, guests will have their own personal chef to cook up six courses of local treats with a Burns Night twist. Think of the likes of canapés, amuse bouche, a starter, fish course, palette-cleanser, meat course, pre-dessert, dessert, cheese and coffee – with a drinks pairing for sumptuous dish. At £125, this is described as being ‘perfect for a gift, serious foodies and those who like a bit of dining theatre’: see here.
Hotel du Vin
A Burns Night wine dinner – taking place at 7pm on Thursday, January 23 – promises a real indulgence at the Newcastle hotel which is promising an unforgettable evening of Scottish tradition, fine dining and ‘exquisite drinks’. The three-hour event will begin with a welcome drink and canapés followed by a multi-course dinner, with each course paired with fine wines plus a whisky tasting between each dish.
A final dram will be included at the end of the evening for a final raising of the glass. The cost is £99 and bookings can be made here.
Backworth Miners Welfare
Boasting special guest chef Chris Allison, this traditional Burns Night celebration will be hosted at Backworth Hall in Station Road, Newcastle, from 7pm-11pm on January 24 where the local culinary talent will be serving up a traditional three-course meal with a ‘whiskey dram, piper and entertainment’. The cost of all this is £35 and when booking tickets diners can also select their dishes.
There’s a pick of starters; mains – which include veggie haggis and chicken – and also dessert, with traditional fare as an option throughout. See the menu and book here. The venue warns the event is only accessible by stairs and says that parties of fewer than 10 may be required to share tables.
Grand Hotel Gosforth
Northern Counties Kidney Research Fund is hosting a Burn’s Supper and Ceilidh at the Newcastle hotel on January 25 to help raise money for the local charity – and the night will include dancing too. A raffle will take place during the event which also will feature a ceilidh – led by Miggins Fiddle- a quiz and poetry. The meal will include the traditional haggis, neeps, and tatties, after which the dancing will be led by the local Miggins Fiddle Ceilidh Band.
There will be a free drink upon arrival and guests are asked to “don your tartan and prepare for an evening of music, dancing and good cheer”. For tickets, £44.99, book here.
Tyneside Irish Centre
A Burns Supper, a fund-raiser for Morning Star North East Supporters, will be held in the Newcastle club on January 30 from 7pm to 10:30pm. The cost is £26.50; £16.50 concessions plus booking fee: see here.
There will be a two-course meal – haggis, neeps and potatoes then dessert – plus a piping-in of the haggis; Address to the Haggis; The Immortal Memory toast, Burns songs and poetry.
Burns Night Suppers will be back on the menu this January
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The Cumberland Arms
The annual Celebration of Robert Burns will be back at the Newcastle pub once again and this January 26 knees-up promises more ‘piping, singing, reciting and kilts’. with performers Alasdair Paul, Amy Leach and Jordan Aikin. The event starts at 6.30pm and a haggis supper buffet will be served until 7.45pm.
Then tables will be cleared at 8pm to make space for dancing. See here. Note that this event is now sold-out.
The Caledonian Hotel, Jesmond
The Osborne Road hotel again will be hosting a Burns Supper and whisky-tasting event by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society which will be back in the city on January 25 for what sounds like a boozy affair as it includes a whisky-tasting to properly celebrate the spirit of the Scottish Bard. The evening will involve six ‘exquisite’ drams of single cask whiskies, paired with a one-course meal of classic haggis, neeps and tatties – which sounds some doing/
It invites guests to ‘immerse yourself in the rich flavours of Scotland while enjoying the company of fellow whisky enthusiasts’. Tickets are £75 for non-members: book here. Arrivals will be at 6:45pm for a prompt 7pm start for that drinking.
The Blackbird, Ponteland, and The Northumberland Arms, Felton
The sister pubs in Northumberland again will be paying tribute to the Scottish Bard at 7.30pm on January 25 with Burns Night celebrations. The award-winning Blackbird offers a menu of cullen skink soup, braised beef brisket, a wee dram, haggis and raspberry parfait. It costs £40 and can be booked by calling 01661 822 684 or visiting its website here.
At The Northumberland Arms, there’s the treat of a Northumbrian Piper as well as a three-course menu which will feature a Haggis Wellington. To book this event, which costs £35.95, call 01670 787 370.
Burns Night Suppers will be back on the menu this January
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Hilton Newcastle Gateshead
The Newcastle Cat & Dog Shelter will be hosting a fund-raising Burns Night Supper again, this time at the Gateshead hotel near the Tyne on January 25 and it invites guests to ‘ indulge in a night of Scottish elegance and entertainment’. In aid of its furry friends in need., it is tempting people with a ‘sumptuous’ three-course meal of traditional Scottish fare, a dram of whisky, a ceilidh, bagpipes to address the haggis and fund-raising activities including whisky games and a ‘prestigious’ raffle.
Tickets are £90 or £850 for a table of 10 and people are asked to email events@dogandcatshelter.com to register their interest.
Spanish City
The Whitley Bay landmark is going all-out this year with a treble Burns Night Supper celebration. It hosted two events last year and has now upped that to three, one of which – January 25 – is already sold out. There are other options to bag tickets, on January 24 and January 26.
The suppers, which invite arrivals at 6.30pm in readiness to sit down at 7pm, cost £45 and take place in the St Mary’s Lighthouse Suite. The evening, which lasts until 11.30pm, includes a ‘stunning’ four-course meal, an official ‘address to the haggis’, a Scottish Piper and contemporary Monster Ceilidh Band with a caller to assist with each dance.
Expect a four-course feast of vegetable broth, with herb dumpling; haggis, neeps and tatties then a main of roast chicken with ‘whisky jus’ and dessert of traditional cranachan. Book here.
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Lumley Castle
Further afield, the castle hotel at Chester-le-Street in County Durham is planning a Burns Night celebration on January 25 and, for £59, there is an authentic Elizabethan banquet and a ceilidh band included. The hotel says: “Raise a glass, recite a toast, and immerse yourself in a night of Scottish heritage, fine food, and lively music- all within the historic walls of Lumley Castle.”
To book call 0191 389 1111 or see its website here where information also can be found about booking overnight accommodation.
Chef & Brewer
The pub chain will be offering its traditional Burns Night menu from January 23 until Burns Night itself on January 25. Its four-course Burns Supper, costing £28, will be available from 4pm.
It will feature traditional Scottish dishes, including cullen skink, haggis, neeps and tatties and its ‘classic Cranachan Sundae’. Guests can also add from a selection of Scottish whiskies or a seasonal cocktail such as Whisky and Ginger, its Glenfiddich Buck or non-alcoholic Elderflower Buck version.
Full details of its menu are here. Local Chef & Brewer pubs include the Wellington Arms at Riding Mill and Black Bull at Corbridge, both Northumberland, plus Ravensworth Arms at Lamesley, Tyne and Wear.: see here.
Haggis, neeps and tatties are the traditional Burns Night supper
(Image: Western Daily Press)
Wetherspoon
Another big pub chain is also offering a special menu around Burns Night with branches around the region set to join in throughout the week of January 22-28.
Customers will find a pick of two meals: haggis, neeps and tatties or a Caledonian burger which comes with haggis and whisky sauce and drink options to go with that include a selection of Scottish treats including an award-winning Inveralmond Ossian guest ale and a range of gins, whiskies, including single malts, and beer.
It suggests customers taking part in Dry January could try the like of 0.5% ABV BrewDog Punk AF: see here. Keep an eye out for prices as none is yet advertised and it has said that prices, as well as participation, may vary per pub.
Celebrating at home?
Those not planning to attend an organised supper and who are feeling adventurous could have a go at rustling up the traditional meal themselves. The neeps and tatties will be relatively straightforward and even the whisky gravy, for those that want it, should not be too taxing.
But there won’t be many who fancy trying their hand at making haggis. Even the sound of the ingredients can be off-putting.
It’s a type of sausage prepared in a sheep’s stomach that is minced with onion, oatmeal, suet (raw beef or lamb fat), spices and salt, all mixed with stock. So, that’s best left to the local butcher – or else check out supermarkets or buy it online.
The traditional meal is then rounded off with a cranachan dessert, which is a mixture of whipped cream, whisky, honey and fresh raspberries, with toasted oatmeal. There’s also the option of a Tipsy Laird (a whisky trifle) and dessert is followed by oatcakes and cheese, with another tipple of Scotch whisky which accompanies every stage of the meal.
On the BBC Food website there is a classic cranachan recipe here and a Mary Berry one here.