Robbie Burns Day celebrates the national poet of Scotland on January 25th. It’s commemorated in Vancouver with Scottish music, food and festivities.

There are a few events that happen in the Lower Mainland each year to celebrate Robbie Burns Day. See below for details. (Note: Sometimes events take place a week or more before January 25th, and sometimes they take place a few days or weeks after.)

Robbie Burns Day

Robbie Burns Day (or Rabbie Burns Day) is named after a Scottish poet who was born on January 25th in 1759. Burns Suppers are normally held on or near the date of his birthday to celebrate his life and poetry. It’s not a national holiday in Scotland (in the sense that people don’t get a paid day off work). It’s an important occasion in Scotland, however. People also celebrate the day in other places around the world.

Robbie Burns Day Celebrations in the Lower Mainland

The following events happened in 2025 in Vancouver, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Fort Langley.

Robbie Burns Supper

The Vancouver Branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society hosted a Burns Supper on Saturday, January 25th in 2025. It took place from 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm at the Scottish Cultural Centre at 8886 Hudson Street in Vancouver.

Tickets cost $100 (or $90 for members of the BC Highland Dance Association, BC Pipers Association, Gaelic Society of Vancouver, Sons of Scotland, Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, and St Andrew’s & Caledonian Society of Vancouver).

The event typically features traditional Scottish dancing, food and live music. There were free dance classes available on January 8th, 15th and 22nd for those who wanted to brush up on their moves before the big day.

Visit the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society‘s website for details about this event.

Robbie Burns with Blackthorn

Place des Arts in Coquitlam celebrated Robbie Burns Day from 7:30 pm until 9:30 pm on Saturday, January 18th in 2025. Performing at the event were the Celtic band Blackthorn and a special guest piper. Tickets cost $26 for adults and $21 for students and seniors.

The venue’s address is 1120 Brunette Avenue.

Visit the Place des Arts website to learn more.

Robbie Burns Day at the Fort Pub & Grill

Another Robbie Burns Day celebration in 2025 took place at the Fort Pub & Grill. The venue is located at 9273 Glover Road in Fort Langley.

Doors opened at 7:00 pm and the event finished at about 11:30 pm. The event included a concert with Bruce Coughlan at 9:00 pm as well as whiskey flights and traditional dancing. Tickets for the concert cost $15 each.

Click Robbie Burns Day at the Fort Pub & Grill to learn more about this event.

Robbie Burns Night at the Port Coquitlam Legion

Robbie Burns Night took place at the Port Coquitlam Legion in 2025. The event ran from 6:30 pm until 9:30 pm. Activities in the past have included bagpiping, Highland dancing, a raffle and haggis.

Other Information

Other Celtic-themed events that take place in the Lower Mainland include the following:

CelticFest Vancouver – a festival that takes place around St. Patrick’s Day.
BC Highland Games & Scottish Festival – a cultural and sporting event in Coquitlam in June.

Other articles that might be of interest include the following: