Dumfries’s Loreburn Hall throws opens its doors like never before as Big Burns Supper returns in January with a new alternative in-person format for ‘Le Haggis’, an immersive theatrical party experience featuring a roster of talent and a brand-new soundtrack created by energetic trad folk group Ho-Ro and Dumfries Community Choir.
Marking the first in-person festival in three years, four one-off evening events will run on the 13th, 14th, 20th & 21st January featuring a range of different artists including Scottish rock band Skerryvore, alternative dance band Colonel Mustard & the Djion 5, the legendary The Bootleg Beatles and funk and soul maestro, DJ Craig Charles alongside local music talent including Soul Junction, Chasin the Train and The Lutras.
Credit: Murdo Macleod
Alongside these musical arts, soon to be announced international cabaret artists will join forces with local artists to create the special editions of ‘Le Haggis’ which offers 7 hours of entertainment each night, spread across four different performances spaces at the Loreburn Hall. Once the shows are over, the venue becomes a playground with audiences encouraged to dress to impress!
All four new ‘Le Haggis’ events are included in one umbrella ticket price of £38.00 as part of a revised format to the popular event for Big Burns Supper which is the largest community platform in the South of Scotland.
Family Editions of ‘Le Haggis’ will also be presented on Sunday 15th and 22nd January with a community cast of young and old as the festival returns to its original grass roots social ethos.
Following 2022’s well-received online events, Big Burns Supper’s 2023 vision invites new and established local and visiting audiences back to in-person events and represents a welcoming, exciting and relaxed way to further explore Dumfries as a destination.
Extending the celebratory spirit of Burns Night, this year’s events across January pack Loreburn Hall to the rafters with creative talent and offers an opportunity to experience a whole host of music, cabaret, theatre and fun as part of the revamped programme.
Graham Main, Executive Producer of Big Burns Supper has said: “With lockdown happening and with the cancellation of so many events last year due to the omicron virus taking hold, we haven’t seen our loyal Le Haggis audience in person since 2020. Our new alternative format for 2023 acts as both our recovery edition and as a love letter to them. We can’t wait to welcome them, and to welcome new lovers of all things big, bold and Burns, to these joyous and immersive events in the new year.”
Councillor Archie Dryburgh, Chair of the Council’s Communities Committee said, “It is great news that Big Burns Supper and Le Haggis are to return to Dumfries in January. The Festival programme gives Dumfries’s guid neebors a chance to meet and get unco happy through the dark days of January. There is real excellence and a feel good factor in the Festival line up and I’m sure tickets will sell out quickly.”
