Alumni Services

Global alumni toast Burns

Over the past month, hundreds of University of Edinburgh alumni have assembled around the world in honour of Scotland’s bard, Robert Burns.

Five guests pictured at the 2017 Alumni Burns Supper in Washington DC
The Alumni Club of Washington DC came together at the Willard Hotel for a Burns Supper, ceilidh and whisky tasting

From Iceland to New Delhi, Edinburgh graduates have enjoyed haggis, neeps and tatties, along with pipe music, ceilidh dancing and toasts to the great poet. With pipers flown in from Scotland and increasingly ambitious programmes, this quintessentially Scottish tradition has become a popular event in the social calendar of many of the University’s alumni clubs and groups.

Locations

The University was delighted with the range of locations where alumni celebrated Burns Night. These included:

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Boston, MA
  • Greenwich, CT
  • Pasadena, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Washington, DC
  • New York City, NY
  • Edinburgh
  • London
  • Reykjavik, Iceland
  • Luxembourg
  • New Delhi, India

Heart-warming

Current student Aleksandra Eremina (BSc Biological Sciences), who is studying abroad in California, shared her experiences of the California Institute of Technology’s Burns Supper in Pasadena:

The CALTech Burns Supper was an amazing opportunity to celebrate the wonderful Scottish tradition, to discover the diversity of the Edinburgh community throughout California and, finally, to explore beautiful Pasadena! When you go abroad, you leave for meeting new people, encountering alternative perspectives and investigating the world around you. However, you also learn more about your home, and the way it is perceived and valued abroad. It was very heart-warming to see the enthusiasm of all the Burns Supper attendees to share the joy of this wonderful night with communities on this side of the world.

A group of guests at the 2017 alumni Burns supper in Atlanta, Georgia, which took place in a replica of Burns birthplace
Members of the Alumni Club of Atlanta celebrate Burns Night at Burns Cottage

Looking to 2018

The Development and Alumni team have worked with graduates around the world to organise and publicise their celebrations. If you would like to host your own Burns Supper in 2018 for alumni in your local area, we would encourage you to get in touch - it's a perfect opportunity to make new connections and rekindle old friendships.

Contact

Please contact Emily Bateman for more information if you are interested in joining one of our Alumni Clubs and Groups, or organising your own Burns Supper event:

Emily.Bateman@ed.ac.uk

Related links

The Alumni Global Community