2025 events

Up and coming events . . . 

Autumn Ceilidh, Saturday 1st November 2025

We are very much looking forward to welcoming you to our traditional Autumn Ceilidh on Saturday 1st November at Kulturhuset. Vaskerelven 8, 5014 Bergen. Doors open at 19.00, with music starting at 19.30. 

This is the society's biggest event of the year and we have a special offer this year to open the wonderful world of ceilidhs up to a wider audience: Bring a friend and they'll get a discount if it's their first ceilidh!

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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! Their distinctive sound is sure to keep the party going and the dance floor filled.

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 can be bought via Vipps (Bergen Scottish Society - #507034):

• Members: 300 kr.
• Non-members: 350 kr.
• Students: 250 kr.
• First.-time ceilidh goers who accompany a member: 250 kr.
• Children: 100 kr.

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

Whisky tasting for beginners, 27th November 2025

Following popular demand, we have changed our programme from the proposed cheese and wine tasting back to a traditional whisky tasting. It will be held at Hotel Terminus from 19:00 - 21:00 on Thursday 27th November.

This year the topic is an introduction to Scotch whisky for beginners and all those who like to go back to basics.

Stephen Mathis (owner of independent bottling company, Single Malt Dreams AS) will take us through the key categories of Scotch whisky as well as through some of the main styles and flavour profiles you are likely to encounter within it. We will discuss some of the history of Scotch whisky production, types of spirit, the effects of age and the cask the liquid matures in, as well as a bit on the blending process.

This tasting is aimed at those interested in learning a bit more about Scotland's national drink and those who want to try some affordable whiskies they might not have tried before. A lineup of five whiskies will be presented, with Stephen surprising us on the night with the selection he has chosen. Some snacks will also be provided by the kitchen at Terminus. 

No previous whisky tasting experience is required. Please note that you have to be at least 20 to take part.

Tickets cost 345 kr for members and 395 kr for non-members and can be bought via Vipps (Bergen Scottish Society - #507034).

The year's past events . . . . 

Burns Supper, Saturday 18th January 2025, Skipperforeningen

This will be the first event of the year, marking 266 years since the birth of Robert Burns and the the 20^th Anniversary of the Bergen Scottish Society! It all started in 2005 following a haggis-less Burns Supper. The society has come a long way since then.

Thanks to the sterling efforts of Portobello butcher Joe Findlay,  Solheim Kjøtt and committee member Jim Fulton, Bergen is now the haggis capital of the Nordic region!

The Burns Supper is being held on Saturday 18^th January at Bergen Skipperforeningen. The doors open at 18:30 and the programme starts at 19:00.

To celebrate the Society’s 20^th anniversary, we are fortunate that the talented folks musicians Annlaug Børsheim and Olav Tveitane will be joining us as the duet Tam Glen to play some Burns songs in nynorsk, in addition to the traditional programme of speakers.

Tickets are now on sale and can be bought via Vipps (search for Bergen Scottish Society - Vipps number 507034). The prices are as follows:

• Non-members: kr. 895,-
• Special Burns Supper combo ticket with membership for 2025 (new or renewal): kr. 895,-

There are a limited number of tickets and final numbers need to be confirmed on Monday 15^th January, so please buy early to avoid disappointment.

Annual General Meeting, Thursday 12th March 2025

The Society’s AGM will held on Wednesday 12th March, 19:30, at Dyvekes Vinkjeller, Hollendergaten 7, 5017 Bergen. A copy of the agenda and annual report will be sent directly to members.

The AGM will be followed at 20:00 by a talk held by Isabel Sandvik Shepherd about her work with the oral history organisation  Memoar  and their current project 'Migration Memories'.

Shuffleboard, Wednesday 30^th April 2025, Bar 3, 19:00

Following on from fun evenings in 2022, 2023 and 2024, we will be meeting for a shuffleboard evening again in March. 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 2025

The society joins the 17^th of May parade in Bergen each year and we look forward to doing the same again in 2025.

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 guided walk (Byvandring), Thursday 5th June 2025

Join us on Thursday 5th June for a special guided tour of Rådstuen – Bergen’s 13th century town hall.

Bergen was one of the largest and most powerful cities in the Nordic countries in the Middle Ages. Many of the important stone buildings constructed then are now longer with us.

Under a multi-story car park behind Bryggen, lie the remains of Bergen's medieval wine cellar and the city's oldest town hall; hidden from public view. We are fortunate to be able to accompany archaeologist and antiquarian Heming Hagen from Byantikvaren on a private tour of these ruins and hear more about the building and its place in medieval Bergen.

We will be meeting up at 19:00 at the corner of Nikolaikirkealmening and Rosenkrantzgaten, outside the Thon Rosenkrantz hotel.  

Following tradition, we will find a local hostelry to retire to after the walk to discuss our newfound knowledge and to catch up.

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

Street curling evening, Thursday 25^th September 2025, 19:00

Curling is back on the agenda again this year, although in a new format. The curling rink at Iskanten is now permanently closed after the rink was closed for maintenance last year. Fortunately an alternative is available - Street curling! 

This is a modern take on and ancient game that 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.

Invented by clever Canadians, street curling is an ice-free version of curling that can be played all year round. Alltid Opplett, at Strandgaten 59, has Bergen's very own indoor street curling rink.  

We have booked space for 12 players from 19:00 to 21:00.  This event is open to all ages. Please note that the venue have a licence to serve alcohol, so if anyone under 18 joins the event, no one in the group can buy any alcohol while the under 18s are there. After 21:00, the venue is for over 20s only. 

Tickets cost 50kr for members and 75 kr for non-members, and be bought via Vipps (Bergen Scottish Society - #507034). 

Come and join us for some 21st century street curling fun. No previous experience is required!

Event suggestions

What would you like to see happen in 2025? 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, Instagram and Twitter. Information about events from the pre-Facebook era on the menu to the left.