The best places to celebrate Burns Night

Attend a celebratory supper

By far the most popular way of celebrating Burns Night is with a traditional supper, and with hundreds being held across the UK you'll be spoilt for choice.

Edinburgh and Glasgow, unsurprisingly, play host to some of the most inspiring suppers. Pick of the bunch include A Dinner, A Drama & A Dram at The Òran Mór, a bar and restaurant in Glasgow, which is serving up the traditional meal of cock-a-leekie soup, haggis with neeps and tatties and raspberry cranachan with homemade shortbread. Dinner will be accompanied by a performance of Burns' cantata The Jolly Beggars by local choir The Sirens of Titan.

In Scotland's capital you can toast the bard at the St Columba's Hospice annual Burns supper at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange on the evening of 27 January, featuring speeches and recitations, music, games and dancing. Or head to Edinburgh's famous Burns pub, The Tass, on the Royal Mile, which is hosting a Supper With Burns on 23 to 25 January with stories, songs and lore accompanying the traditional Burns feast. And, if you're feeling really flush, The Balmoral Hotel has created a four-course Burns supper complete with the piping in of the haggis and a Scottish best whisky tasting at its Hadrian's Brasserie.

Outside Scotland, the most obvious place to head is to Boisdale, which regards itself as Scotland's unofficial embassy in London. It has teamed up with Talisker whisky for a traditional Scottish feast running across its London locations between 16 and 28 January. The evening schedule features pipe-major Willie Cochrane and Scottish actor Brett Findlay, who will play and recite Burns' Ode to a Haggis, as well as a three-course meal featuring Hebridean salmon, haggis and Aberdeenshire beef.

For Burns celebrations with a more modern twist, The Rib Room at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower in Knightsbridge will be updating classic seasonal Scottish dishes between 20 and 25 January. Its five-course Burns menu includes a specially created heather-infused cocktail, pan-fried scallops, Cullen skink and cauliflower puree and a Highland venison, haggis and chestnut casserole.

Perhaps the most impressive setting, however, is Green's Oyster Bar, sited in the imposing former Lloyds Bank building in the City. Its Burns supper on 25 January will feature a special menu, the traditional toast to the lassies and faithful renditions of some of the more famous Burns poems.

Vinopolis, meanwhile, is also holding a traditional Scottish dinner, accompanied by whiskies. As well as a Burns recital and toasts to the Haggis there will be live Highland music and a ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) featuring the band Licence To Ceilidh.

If the pub scene's more your thing, head to craft beer pub The Draft House in Tower Bridge. Alongside a traditional Burns meal will be the matching of Glen Garioch whiskies with unusual beers from Scottish brewer Harviestoun. Beers include Bitter & Twisted blond, Old Engine Oil porter and Ola Dubh Special Reserve 12 whisky cask-aged porter.

For celebrations with a Geordie twist, award-winning pub, hotel and restaurant The Battlesteads in Northumberland is putting on a Northumbrian piper with its Burns feast while for something a little more liquid, The Whisky Lounge in Manchester is holding a Burns' Night(ish) Tasting on Saturday 28 January, where it will be breaking out the good stuff.

• On Bing: Burns Night
• On Bing: Burns Night recipes
• On MSN Food: The best of Scottish food and drink

Have a laugh

A more lighthearted celebration of Burns can be found at The Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh, which is holding comedy night The Friday Fix on 27 January. The evening will feature a traditional supper and stand-up comedy from a number of acts including Vladimir Mctavish and Jamie Dalgleish. If you're lucky there may even be someone who can play the bagpipes, say the organisers.

Take in a play

A less conventional Burns celebration can be found at The Kitchen Garden Café in Birmingham, which will be hosting a Burns supper with the extra bonus of a performance of the play William McGonagall And The Mystery Of Loch Ness by the Don't Go Into The Cellar theatre company. The plot hinges around the mysterious disappearance of Burns and the attempt by Scotland's other national bard - Sir William Topaz McGonagall - to find him. Expect a romp through Scottish history and appearances from imperiled maidens, sinister monks and the Loch Ness Monster itself.

Enjoy the spoken word

For more cerebral celebrations there are plenty of talks and stories that provide an insight into the poets' works and life. The annual Burnsfest, in association with Scotland's Winter Festivals, will be running a number of different family-friendly events around Edinburgh in the run-up to, and after, the day itself. These include the Burns Family Festive Day on 28 January with stories about Burns, readings of his best-loved poems and even puppet shows depicting him as a 'wee laddie'.

Scotland's National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh is hosting its first Salon night on 26 January featuring talks, poetry, spoken word and music that look behind the myths surrounding Burns. The evening includes a scientific presentation answering questions surrounding the poet's health - he died of rheumatic fever - a Bengali adaptation of his songs and contemporary stories inspired by his poetry. And, between 5 and 31 January, the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh is honouring the bard with a display that focuses on images of some of the plants mentioned in his poems and songs.

Go dancing

If you fancy a good knees-up then the Ceilidh Club in Hammersmith is the place to go on 20-21 and 27-28 January for one of its Scottish country dancing nights in honour of the poet. As well as three hours of dancing there will be a Burns buffet, the piping in of the haggis and a recital of Address to a Haggis.

Feel the burn

And, if you're feeling really adventurous, Enable Scotland is organising one of its sponsored Firewalks on Burns night. Participants get to walk over hot coals at the ALEA casino in Glasgow with money being raised for charity. Training is provided on the night to ensure your Burns Night doesn't end in the burns unit (you must be aged 18 and over to participate).

• The UK's best Chinese restaurants
• Food obsessions: 10 chefs share theirs
• Restaurant service charges: for and against
• Join MSN Food on Facebook
• Follow MSN Food on Twitter