Kex Hostel in central Reykjavík will host the second annual Scottish festival Burns Night January 24-26, held in honor of Scottish national poet Robert Burns (1759-1796) and celebrated with Scottish food, drink, music and, of course, Burns’s poetry.

Kex Hostel and Icelandic musician Benni Hemm Hemm have invited Scottish musicians Alasdair Roberts and Bill Wells with band to Iceland, as well as bagpipe player Barnaby Brown, a press release reveals.

They will entertain diners on Thursday through Saturday between 8 and 11 pm. The in-house restaurant will offer a special Burns menu on the occasion, most notably haggis with mashed potatoes, yellow turnips, regular turnips and whisky sauce.

Other dishes include lamb stew from the Scottish highlands and leek soup, to be washed down with plenty of whisky, which is considered the vital ingredient to a good Burns Night.

Kex Hostel will also host two workshops in connection with the visit of the Scottish artists.

On January 25 at 4 pm, Roberts will give participants insight in the Scottish folksong tradition, in collaboration with Reykjavík Folk Festival.

The following day at 2 pm, Brown will teach participants the basic steps of the Scottish folkdance ceilidh.

The festival is backed by Vífilfell and Icelandair.

For further information, visit the Kex Hostel’s Facebook page.

ESA