Happy Robbie Burns Day, everyone! And here’s to another great kilt skate season for 2024.

January 25 is closely associated with kilt skating because of a party 10 years ago today that included skating on Ottawa’s Rideau Canal. In honour of Burns’ birthday, one of the revelers braved the elements by skating in his kilt. It was something he did every year on Burns’ Day.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Society of Ottawa (SSO) was looking for a proposal they could submit to the Department of Canadian Heritage to mark the 200th birthday of Canada’s first Prime Minister. They asked the kilt skater if he would help them organize a skate party for Ottawa. The Heritage department liked the idea. But they could support it only if it took place in at least three different provinces. The SSO went to work and on January 30, 2015, kilt skates were held in Montreal, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Calgary as well as Ottawa.

That day, some 200 kilt skaters took to the Rideau Canal Skateway in temperatures that, with the wind chill, reached 40-below.

Since then, the phenomenon of skating in kilts has continued to grow. Kilt skates have been held in Canada from Antigonish to Vancouver and beyond Canada’s borders from Dublin to New York City.

This year is shaping up for another exceptional kilt skate season. New communities are signing up to host kilt skate events. As of Rabbie Burns Day 2024, the calendar includes:

January 28: Montreal, QC

February 3: Toronto, ON

February 4: Concord, NH

February 11: Winnipeg, MB,

February 11: Calgary, AB,

February 17: Moncton, NB,

February 18: Ottawa, ON,

February 19:Antigonish, NS,

February 25: South Glengarry, ON,

February 25: Fergus, ON,

March 10: Russell, ON,

In the coming weeks we hope to use this blog to provide reports from all of these kilt skates. We will also keep the event pages up to date based upon reports from the various organizations that are hosting these events.

Now in its 10th year, the Great Canadian Kilt Skate has become a popular way for people to celebrate Scottish culture. As my Glaswegian grandmother would have said: “Lang may its lum reek!” Happy Burns Day, everyone!