Many Australians and New Zealanders have family connections to Scotland. This, plus a shared love of sport and sense of humour, makes Scottish parties a fun and popular theme.
Scottish Party Dates
You can have a Scottish party whenever you want, but here are some notable events you could mark:
- 25 January is Burns Night, marking the birthday of great Scottish poet Robert Burns.
- 6 April is Tartan Day, the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320.
- 1 July is International Tartan Day.
- 24 November is Billy Connolly’s birthday.
- 30 November is St Andrew’s Day, feast day of the patron saint of Scotland.
- Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year’s celebrations.
Scottish Party Costumes
- Costume Box (AU store) – Thousands of fancy dress costumes, wigs, hats, accessories and masks. Search for ‘Scottish‘ or ‘kilt‘ or ‘tartan’ to find their Scottish costumes. Based in Sydney, delivery within Australia and international. Most costumes dispatched within 24 hours.
- Jokers Masquerade (UK store) – A very large range of high quality costumes for adults. Based in England, they ship to Australia. Search for ‘Scottish‘ or ‘tartan‘ to find Scottish costumes and accessories.
Scottish Party Ideas
- Tartan – Don a kilt plus sporran, or decorate with tartan ribbons.
- Blue and white theme – The colours of the Scottish flag. See our pages for blue themed parties and white themed parties for party supplies, decorations, and more.
- Play some AC/DC – Bon Scott, Angus Young, and Malcolm Young were all born in Scotland and formed AC/DC after moving to Australia.
- Play Celtic music, including but certainly not limited to the bagpipes – traditional Scottish music features harps, tin whistles, fiddle and guitar. In the late 20th century Scotland produced many punk, rock, and alt-rock groups, so there’s something for everyone.
- Eat Scottish food – Haggis is perhaps the most famous Scottish dish but there’s plenty more – salmon or haddock, mashed potatoes, pies, shortbread, oatcakes and cheese. Drinks include Scottish beers, Scotch whisky, and hot toddies.