Please join us for a celebration of Robbie Burns at the SFU Surrey campus!

Wednesday, January 25th, 2017, at SFU Surrey campus.

10am-11am in Room 2995.

“Celebrating Robert Burns in British Columbia: Past and Present.” A talk by Dr Katie McCullough, Director of the SFU Centre for Scottish Studies.

Take in a talk on celebrating Robbie Burns in B.C., join a procession and traditional address to the haggis—then sample it—and hear a Burns poetry recital led by Surrey’s poet laureate

Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus will host its annual Robbie Burns celebration on Wednesday, January 25th. 

The event will feature the piping of the haggis by a member of the SFU Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe band. The haggis will be carried by a kilted campus Executive Director Steve Dooley, while retired SFU staffer Frank Campbell delivers the traditional—and animated—address and toast to the haggis.

The event begins with a free talk by Dr Katie McCullough, Director of SFU’s Centre for Scottish Studies, on Celebrating Robbie Burns in BC, Past and Present, at 10am in Room 2995.

“As important areas of settlement for Scots in Canada, Victoria and Vancouver have had a long tradition of celebrating Scotland’s National Bard, Robert Burns,” says McCullough. “However, how Burns has been celebrated has changed over time. We’ll explore the new ways in which we celebrate Scotland’s most famous poet and lyricist, within the context of B.C.’s multicultural history.”

A procession of the haggis will start in the Mezzanine at 11am, followed by the address and sampling. Then at 12 Noon, there is an open invitation to join Surrey Poet Laureate Renee Saklikar’s Burns poetry recital, also in the Mezzanine.