Burns Supper Dallas · 19th Annual Get Tickets
Robert Burns, after Alexander Nasmyth's 1787 portrait, in a gilt oval frame.

Celebrate Scotland's National Poet

19th Annual Burns Supper

A premier fundraising event presented by
The Dallas Knights of St. Andrew

Saturday, 23 January 2027 6:00 – 10:00 PM

Dallas Scottish Rite Cathedral The Crystal Ballroom · 500 S. Harwood Street, Dallas

$115 per person · table sponsorships from $1,200

  • Piping in
    the Haggis
  • Four-Course
    Fine Dining
  • Wine Toasts
    & Cash Bar
  • Poetry &
    Entertainment
  • Highland Wear
    / Formal

The Invitation

A night of tradition, toasts and timeless verse

Every January, wherever Scots and their friends gather, the pipes sound, the haggis is carried in shoulder-high, and a glass is raised to Robert Burns. On the twenty-third, that gathering happens in the Crystal Ballroom of the Dallas Scottish Rite Cathedral — and you are warmly welcome at it.

A Burns Supper is a Scottish celebration honouring the life and poetry of Robert Burns (1759–1796), Scotland's national poet — the man who gave the world Auld Lang Syne, Tam o' Shanter and A Red, Red Rose. The form of the evening has scarcely changed in two hundred years: a grace, a piper, an address to the haggis, a supper, and then speeches, songs and verse until everyone joins hands at the close.

Burns has a particular claim on this hall. He was initiated a Freemason at Lodge St. David, Tarbolton, on 4 July 1781, at the age of twenty-two, and remained an active and devoted brother for the rest of his life. When the Dallas Knights of St. Andrew keep his memory each January, they are keeping a brother's memory.

You do not need to be a Mason or a Scottish Rite member to attend. Members, spouses, friends, guests and the wider community are all warmly welcomed — bring a table of eight, or bring one guest who has never heard a piper up close.

Then let us pray that come it may,
(As come it will for a' that,)
That Sense and Worth, o'er a' the earth,
Shall bear the gree, an' a' that.

For a' that, an' a' that,
It's comin yet for a' that,
That Man to Man, the world o'er,
Shall brithers be for a' that.

Robert Burns · A Man's a Man for A' That, 1795

Why we gather

Every seat supports the Library and Museum

The Burns Supper is the Dallas Knights of St. Andrew's premier fundraising event of the year. Proceeds support the Dallas Scottish Rite Library and Museum — the collection housed inside the Cathedral itself.

Buy a ticket

$115 brings you the reception, the four-course supper, the ceremony and the entertainment — and puts your name on the list for a seat that will not stay open long.

Sponsor a table

Three sponsorship levels each seat a full table of eight and place an aged, premium bottle of Scotch on it. Corporate and individual donors alike are recognised at the event.

Bring your people

A Burns Supper is at its best full. Fill a table with your lodge, your firm, your family or your friends — the room is warmer for it, and so is the cause.

The Evening

The order of the night

Doors at six, and out by ten. What happens between is a form refined over two centuries — part ceremony, part banquet, part very good party.

  1. 6:00 PM

    Reception

    Appetizers, a cash bar, and the chance to find your table before the pipes start. Come in Highland wear or semi-formal — both are right at home.

  2. Then

    Welcome & the Selkirk Grace

    Guests are seated and the company is welcomed, and the old four-line grace attributed to Burns is said before anyone lifts a fork: “Some hae meat and canna eat, and some wad eat that want it; but we hae meat, and we can eat, and sae the Lord be thankit.”

  3. Then

    Piping in the Haggis

    The whole room stands. The piper leads, the haggis follows shoulder-high, and it is set down to be addressed — the single moment everyone remembers afterwards.

  4. Then

    Address to a Haggis

    Burns's 1786 poem is recited over the dish, and at the line “an' cut you up wi' ready slight” the haggis is cut open. A toast follows — wine is on every table, and a dram for those who have it.

  5. Supper

    The Bill o' Fare

    A plated four-course supper served to the table. The full menu is further down this page.

  6. After supper

    The Immortal Memory

    The centrepiece speech of any Burns Supper: an address on the life, the work and the character of the poet, closed with a toast to his immortal memory.

  7. After supper

    Toasts, Poetry & Song

    The Toast to the Lassies and the Reply — traditionally the funniest ten minutes of the year — followed by readings and Scottish entertainment.

  8. 10:00 PM

    Auld Lang Syne

    Everyone stands, joins hands, and sings the song Burns collected and set down for us all. Then out into a Dallas January, which is nothing at all like an Ayrshire one.

The running order is traditional and may shift slightly on the night at the direction of the Chairman.

Bill o' Fare

Supper in the Crystal Ballroom

Plated and served to the table, with wine on every table for the supper and the Scottish toast.

The Venue

Dallas Scottish Rite Cathedral

Engraving of the Dallas Scottish Rite Cathedral's Corinthian portico and front steps.

Dedicated in 1913 and designed by Hubbell & Greene, the Cathedral is a Neo-classical Revival landmark on the eastern edge of downtown Dallas — a Corinthian portico, and behind it a building that changes architectural order room by room. Supper is served in the Crystal Ballroom, the Louis XV room.

It has been a City of Dallas Landmark since 1978 and carries a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark marker awarded in 1980. If you have never been inside, come early and look around.

Room
The Crystal Ballroom
Parking
Free parking on the lot behind the Cathedral — enter off Young Street.
Dress
Highland wear (kilts) or semi-formal.
Doors
6:00 PM, Saturday 23 January 2027. Carriages at ten.

Tickets & Tables

Limited space — book today

Table sponsorships seat eight and include an aged, premium bottle of Scotch on the table. Individual seats are $115.

Individual

$115 per person

A seat at a shared table

  • Reception with appetizers & cash bar
  • Four-course plated supper
  • Wine for the supper and the Scottish toast
  • The full ceremony, poetry and entertainment

Total: $115

Silver Table

$1,350 table of 8

One 15-year-old bottle of Scotch

  • Eight dinner tickets
  • One 15-year-old bottle of premium Scotch on the table
  • Recognition as a Silver sponsor at the event
  • Reserved seating for your party of eight

Bronze Table

$1,200 table of 8

One 12-year-old bottle of Scotch

  • Eight dinner tickets
  • One 12-year-old bottle of premium Scotch on the table
  • Recognition as a Bronze sponsor at the event
  • Reserved seating for your party of eight

Sponsoring a table but not filling it yourself? Tell us and we will seat guests who would otherwise miss the night. Questions about sponsorship go to Buddie Barnes, 214-869-7082.

Donations

Can't be there? You can still help.

Every gift goes to the Dallas Scottish Rite Library and Museum, and every donor is recognised at the supper.

Questions

Before you come

What is a Burns Supper?
A traditional Scottish celebration honouring the life and poetry of Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet. The evening includes a ceremonial presentation of the haggis, Scottish music, poetry readings, toasts, and a meal inspired by Scottish fare.
Is this event open to non-members?
Yes. Guests, spouses, friends and the wider community are warmly welcomed. You do not need to be a Mason or a Scottish Rite member to attend.
Do I need to RSVP or buy tickets in advance?
Yes — tickets and RSVP are required so the committee can plan seating and catering. Space is limited, and the supper has sold out before.
Will alcohol be served?
A cash bar is available during the reception and supper. Wine is on every table for the supper and the Scottish toast, and a dram may be served for the ceremonial toast if your table does not have Scotch. A non-alcoholic option is always available.
What should I wear?
Highland wear — kilts and all that goes with them — or semi-formal. Both are entirely at home in the room.
Where do I park?
Free parking is furnished on the lot behind the Cathedral. Enter the lot off Young Street.
I have a dietary restriction. Can you accommodate it?
Please contact Buddie Barnes at 214-869-7082 or [email protected] ahead of the night so the kitchen can plan for you.
Do I have to eat the haggis?
No. It is piped in, addressed and served to the company as part of the ceremony — but the four-course supper stands on its own, and nobody is counting. That said, most first-timers are surprised.

Contact

Ask the committee

Table sponsorships, dietary restrictions, seating requests, or anything at all about the night — get in touch.

Event Chairman

Buddie Barnes

214-869-7082

[email protected]

Presented by

Dallas Knights of St. Andrew

An order of 32° Scottish Rite Masons serving the Valley of Dallas, Orient of Texas.

Send a message

We read everything and reply as quickly as we can.

Your email is used only to reply to you — never shared, never added to a list.

Limited space

Book today

Nineteen years on, this room still fills. Take your seat before it is somebody else's.

Saturday, 23 January 2027 6:00 – 10:00 PM 500 S. Harwood Street, Dallas Free parking