2023 events

St Andrew's Day whisky tasting, Thursday 30th November 2023, 19:00 at Hotel Terminus

The nights are fair drawing in, as we say in Scotland. To help bring some light into the darkness, we are delighted to be holding a whisky tasting to celebrate St Andrew's Day, the day of Scotland's patron saint. More detail to follow.

Burns Supper 2024, Saturday 20^th January 2024, Skipperforeningen

This will be the first event of the year, marking 265 years since the birth of Robert Burns. More details to follow.

Events already held this year . . . 

Burns Supper, Saturday 28^th January 2023, Skipperforeningen

The first event is our annual Burns Supper, marking 264 years since the birth of Robert Burns.

The sun has turned, the days are lengthening and Burns’ Night is soon upon. This year's Burns Supper will be on Saturday 28^th January and is being held at Bergens Skipperforening, in the heart of Bergen. Doors open at 18:15.

We have a good programme of speakers and entertainment lined up and look forward to welcoming you back to Skipperforeningen for a good old-fashioned physical Burns Supper.

After being locked down in a more or less digital world for the past two years, it’ll be great to get back to seeing, hearing and conversing with people in real life, while enjoying good food, beverages and entertainment. 

Tickets are now on sale and can be bought via Vipps (search for Bergen Scottish Society - Vipps number 507034) or by transferring to the society’s bank account (3411.27.21721). The prices are as follows:

• Members: kr. 575,-
• Non-members: kr. 725,-
• Special Burns Supper ticket +  new membership or renewal combo: kr. 725,-

We are limited to 60 tickets and the event is usually a sell out, so please buy early to avoid disappointment. As the old Scottish proverb goes, he who hingeth aboot, geteth hee-haw!

Annual General Meeting and talk: South Georgia Heritage Trust: A Scottish charity and a Norwegian history, Wednesday 30^th March 2023, Brian Boru Pub

The Society’s AGM will held be on Wednesday 30^th March at Brian Boru Pub on Kong Oscars gate 16 from 19:00-19:30.

The AGM will be followed by a talk from Professor Bjørn Basberg on the South Georgia Heritage Trust: A Scottish charity and a Norwegian history. Basberg, a trustee of the South Georgia Heritage Trust, will share his knowledge and experiences og\f the trust's work to preserve and protect the natural and historical envirnoment og South Georgia. The event is free to members and friends of the Society.

The talk is free for members and costs 75 kr. for non-members. Payment can be made via the Society's Vipps account (#507034).

Shuffleboard, Wednesday 19^th April 2023, Bar 3

In a slight change to the original programme, we thought we would try shuffleboard in April this year as the curling season has finished earlier than expected (curling is planned for September instead). We tried shuffleboard the first time in 2022 and it was great fun. It is a bit like tabletop curling, and requires every bit as much skill and precision.

Three lanes have been booked at Bar 3 on Rosenkrantzgate for 1 hour.

Members are free and non-members can join us for kr. 50 each.

17th of May Constitution Day 

The society joins the 17^th of May parade in Bergen each year and we look forward to doing the same again in 2023.

This is a real high point of the year for both locals and expats in Bergen. The best place to see the parade is from the parade, so bring your friends and family and come and join us!

The Bergen Scottish Society (BSS) will be participating in the Hovedprosesjonen, starting at Koengen. Look for our banner and men in kilts, and listen for the skirl of the pipes!

The parade leaves from Koengen at 10:30am, so if you’re planning on walking behind the BSS banner and the Bergen Pipes and Drums please make sure you’re there by 10:15 at the latest. From Koengen the parade will follow a predetermined route around the city centre and will end up at Festplassen.

We look forward to seeing you on the 17th of May!

Historic city walk (Byvandring):Skulpturvandring rundt Lille Lungegårdsvannet, Thursday 1st June 2023

Local history enthusiast Harriet Garlid will lead us on a guided walk around Lille Lungegårdsvannet, presenting the history of the lake and park and the sculptures that surround it. Garlid will take us on a sculptural journey around the lake, introducing us to the sculputres, who they represent and the people that created them. The guided walk will be in Norwegian.

We will be meeting at the music pavilion in Festplassen at 19:00 and the walk will take about an hour. Following tradition, we will find a local hostelry to retire to after the walk to discuss our new found knowledge and to catch up. 

The Byvandring costs 50 kr for members and 75 kr for non-members. Payment can be made via the Society's Vipps account (#507034).

Curling evening, Wednesday 27^nd September 2023, 19:00 at Iskanten

As the autumn nights are fair drawing in, we thought that curling would be a fun activity for all the family.

This ancient game was probably first played in Scotland in the 1500's, before spreading to Europe and then North America. The rules of the game as played today were formalised in Scotland in the 19^th century and the sport retains close cultural ties with its homeland.

We have booked two lanes at Iskanten on Wednesday 27^th September at 19:00. Tickets can be bought via VIPS (Bergen Scottish Society - #507034) and cost 150 kr. for members, 200 kr. for non-members and 100 kr. for children. 

Come and join us for some ice bound fun; no previous experience is required!

Ceilidh, Saturday 28th October 2023, 19:00 at Bergens Skipperforening

After the success of last year’s first post-Covd ceilidh, we are are very much looking forward to welcoming you to our traditional Autumn Ceilidh on Saturday 28^th October at Bergens Skipperforening, Vågsallmenningen 7, Bergen. Doors open at 18.30, with music starting at 19.00.

Live music (and dancing instructions) will be provided this year by old friends Crowded Croft – the best thing to come out of Helensburgh since television! It’s been five years since their last appearance in Bergen as a three-piece ceilidh band. This time they will be performing as a four-piece, with our ceilidh being the first stop on their one date Scandinavian tour.  

Bergen Pipes & Drums will also be on hand to play a few tunes for us and there will be a raffle with Scottish prizes for the lucky few.

Adults, children, members and non-members are all welcome. The band will talk us through each dance, so no previous experience is required. Whether you're 8 or 88, it's a great night for all the family!

Tickets are available via Vipps:

• BSS member 250kr
• Non-member 300kr
• Children 100kr
• Students 250kr

Just search Bergen Scottish Society (Vipps number 507034) and you will find a menu with ticket prices. Remember to add a comment stating the names of the people you are buying tickets for.

Buy your tickets, grab your dancing shoes, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Event suggestions

What would you like to see happen in 2023 and 2024? Drop us a mail if there´s anything special you would like us to do. Here are some of the ideas we're looking into: whisky tasting, curling, pub nights and a historical guided walk. All events are open to everyone; members and non-members alike, Scottish or otherwise.  

If you'd like to get a bit more a of a flavour for what we do, check out what Society is getting up to on Facebook and Twitter. Information about events from the pre-Facebook era on the menu to the left.