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What's in store now the Big Burns Supper is no more?

Giancarlo RinaldiSouth Scotland reporter
Stuart Walker A large spaceman figure leads a parade through the heart of DumfriesStuart Walker
A parade which brought out thousands of people this year will return in January

Plans for a three-day "winter extravaganza" in Dumfries have been unveiled following the demise of the Big Burns Supper (BBS) festival.

Organisers admitted the old format - which brought big name artists to the town for more than a decade - was "never really sustainable".

In its place is an entirely free Dumfries and Galloway Carnival programme from 29 to 31 January with light installations, music and hundreds of community performers.

Executive producer Graham Main said they were aware money was tight for many people and he hoped the new format was right for the town and the region as a whole.

The first BBS took place in 2012 and was made up of 80 events covering music, dance, comedy, theatre and art across 40 different venues.

Acts ranging from Nina Nesbitt to the Undertones and Black Grape to the Bay City Rollers would come to perform and, within a few years, it was a nine-day event.

However, after the Covid pandemic, it struggled to recover and was cancelled in 2024 after it failed to secure funding from EventScotland.

It returned but organisers confirmed earlier this year that it was the end of the road for the festival in the format that brought the Spiegeltent venue to town.

Big Burns Supper A view of some people doing Scottish country dancing in a large tent-like building with a big crowd looking onBig Burns Supper
The Spiegeltent venue was put up in Dumfries for a number of editions of the event

Main told BBC Scotland News: "It never really was sustainable, if I'm being perfectly honest.

"Even up until the pandemic, whilst the public might have experienced world class culture, we were very honest about the fact that it never quite broke even."

He said they had learned during Covid to "think outside the box" and he believed they had done so again with their new plans.

"I think what we have always been very good at is trying to tune into what feels right for right now," he said.

"And we are taking a temperature reading and we don't think people have got that much money after Christmas.

"So, therefore, actually what's more important to us is bringing people back together to connect."

Stuart Walker Burns Mausoleum lit up in red and purple with a large crowd outsideStuart Walker
Sites like Burns Mausoleum will be lit up during the three-day "extravaganza"

Main said they hoped to bring the same "magical energy" as before - just presented in a different way.

"I think what we've done is we've sort of used the abundant resources which we have - which is empty shops and derelict buildings on our High Street," he added.

"I think we've tried to turn that into a positive because what we've done with Northern Lights is really utilise those empty spaces."

The event includes three days of live music, a winter village in the town centre and street traders.

A parade - which attracted thousands of people this year - will return in 2027 with lanterns being made across the south west of Scotland

"There are few times we actually come together as a region, even in football, you know, we're split between various towns," said Main.

"So it's nice to have a reason to be called one Dumfries and Galloway, isn't it?"