Fantastic Start to Homecoming Scotland 2009

NEWS RELEASE
Sunday, 25 January 2009 (immediate)

Scotland’s year of celebration launched in style this weekend as tens of thousands of people celebrated Robert Burns at Homecoming Scotland 2009 events.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: “Homecoming Scotland could not have got off to a better start with tens of thousands of people taking part in sell out events like Iconic Burns and Celtic Connections across Scotland, and around the globe. The 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns has been celebrated on a global scale and as it should be - with dancing, singing, laughter and off course the odd dram! I have no doubt that if he were here today, Robert Burns would make every effort to attend every single one of the 300 events we have planned across Scotland this year. And he would be delighted to see his year of birthday celebrations off to such a flying start!”

Marie Christie, Homecoming Scotland 2009 Project Director said: “It’s been a fantastic start to Scotland’s year of Homecoming. The pictures and broadcast images from these events will encourage even more people around the world to find out about the 300 inspirational events taking place throughout Scotland in this special year.”

Inspired by, and in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Homecoming Scotland 2009 is engaging with Scots, people with Scots ancestry and anyone with a love of Scotland encouraging them to ‘come home’ and join the celebrations.

Susan Crane from Ontario, Canada was one of many Homecomers who joined the celebrations. Susan, who attended the Alloway Burns Supper as a Homecoming competition winner, said: “It has been 32 years since I was last in Scotland so it’s a great privilege and very special to be here for Homecoming and to share in this celebration. It is particularly special to share it with my son and daughter, the latter of who is now living in Edinburgh.”

The Alloway event was the centrepiece for the World Famous Burns Supper Celebration which invited people from around the world to share their plans for Burns Night as part of the opening celebrations of Homecoming Scotland. More than 3300 suppers across 70 countries have been registered online.

Meanwhile, outside on the streets of Alloway a capacity crowd of 1200 enjoyed the spectacular Iconic Burns, a one-off extravaganza to mark the start of this unique year of celebration. Village locations, including Burns birthplace cottage and the Brig ‘O Doon, were brought to life by some of the UK’s top lighting specialists and fire sculptors. Interest in the event was huge, with over 3000 people from the UK and around the world entering the ballot for tickets.

Speaking at Iconic Burns, Lesley Duncan from Alloway said: ‘It’s great that this event brought so many people from around the world to celebrate.”

Glasgow’s Celtic Connections continued to celebrate Burns with shows in the specially extended Homecoming programme selling out, with audiences coming from across Europe, the USA, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, China, Japan and the UK.

Saturday’s shows included the Jamaican Burns Night, the Homecoming Scotland All-Star Ceilidh and Auld Lang Syne, featuring the cream of Scottish folk music, and the 12 Hour Burns Concert where people dipped in and out of performances of the Bard’s work. Tonight features the Homecoming Suite, a specially commissioned work from leading classical composers and musicians, performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Speaking after Saturday’s shows Emily Smith, multi-award winning Scottish folk musician and songwriter, said: “I was delighted to be involved in the Homecoming Scotland events at Celtic Connections this weekend. The whole experience was really special and it was a real privilege to play beside such great musicians as Dougie MacLean, Eddie Reader and Karen Mathieson. Homecoming events will be an inspiration for people visiting Scotland this year.”

Celtic Connections Homecoming celebrations will continue until next week with the Transatlantic Sessions – Bringing it All Back Home, highlighting the music and songs of Scotland that travelled with Scots emigrants.

Elsewhere in Glasgow, Burns Illuminated, the Bard’s story told in sound and light was projected onto Glasgow City Chambers, with thousands expected to attend this evening’s free musical celebration featuring the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and the premiere of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society’s Homecoming Dance in Glasgow’s George Square.

In Edinburgh visitors took the opportunity to see Zig Zag: The Paths of Robert Burns at the National Library of Scotland ahead of its Scotland-wide tour. The National Museums of Scotland marked the start of their programme of Homecoming events with an exciting line up of poetry, performers, art and music to celebrate Robert Burns whilst The Scottish Parliament hosted As Others See Us – a photographic exhibition showcasing unique and engaging contemporary portraits of twenty of Scotland's best-known figures alongside their favourite pieces of poetry and songs by Robert Burns, whose work continues to inspire today.

The grand finale to this weekend’s celebrations is in Dumfries where up to 10,000 people are expected to take part in Burns Light, featuring 3000 lanterns inspired by the works of Burns carried in four processions.

Also in Dumfries This Is Who We Are was launched at Mid Steeple. This exhibition celebrates the cultural and historic links between Scotland and Canada through digital photography. Photographs taken by affinity Scots in Canada will tell the story of their communities and demonstrate the strong influence of Scots when they travelled and named 1000 Canadian towns after their homeland.

Speaking about the launch weekend events Shirley Bell, Chief Executive of the World Burns Federation, said: “The celebrations in Alloway, Dumfries, Glasgow and Edinburgh have been a wonderful way to mark the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns. The man would have been delighted to see the village of his birth turned into the centre of his celebration, and would I’m sure, be very pleased to see people from across the world having so much fun in Scotland.”

The full events programme for 2009 is available at www.HomecomingScotland2009.com

-Ends-

For more information contact:

Leon Thompson, Corporate Affairs Manager, EventScotland
Mobile: 07778 163 085
Email: Leon.Thompson@eventscotland.org

Note to editors

About Homecoming Scotland 2009 (www.homecomingscotland2009.com)

• Homecoming Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative managed by EventScotland, the national events agency, in partnership with VisitScotland, the country's national tourism agency.  The initiative is part financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.
• Robert Burns is the inspiration for Homecoming Scotland as 2009 is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national poet.
• As well as Robert Burns, Homecoming Scotland events are also celebrating some of the other great contributions Scotland has given the world – golf, whisky, great Scottish minds and innovations, and as the ancestral home to millions of people around the world.
• Homecoming Scotland will engage Scots at home as well as motivate people of Scottish descent and those who simply love Scotland, to take part in an inspirational celebration of our culture, heritage and some of the many great contributions Scotland has given to the world.