One of Scotland’s best-loved ceilidh nights is promising to bring Scottish country dancing to an even greater audience after teaming up with a global tartan-wear brand and announcing a raft of prizes for the best dancers. The tartan tie-up will see Bonnie & Wild’s famous White Heather Club ceilidh nights offering prizes for participants and encouraging Edinburgh residents, tourists, and Scotland fans all over the world to take part in Scottish country dancing. Organisers Bonnie & Wild said the collaboration with global kilt-maker ScotlandShop will see its staff decked out in a Bonnie & Wild tartan as they showcase ceilidh culture through the popular White Heather Club dances.
The White Heather Club was an iconic TV show in the 1960s and 1970s that beamed ceilidh dancing into people’s homes across the UK, and was largely credited with the revival in popularity of Scottish country dancing. Last year, Bonnie & Wild, the Scottish Food Hall in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter where the monthly dances are held, reprised the ceilidh night, attracting hundreds of dancers every month to the free ceilidhs. Ryan Barrie, Managing Director of Bonnie & Wild, said: “Our ceilidh nights have been a phenomenal success since we revived them last year, with thousands of residents, tourists and curious passers-by coming along to Bonnie & Wild and enjoying these evenings of music, dance and good cheer. The White Heather Club is already one of Edinburgh’s biggest and best nights out, and we know there’s potential for more. Teaming up with ScotlandShop, we’ll be showcasing ceilidhs to a wider audience, while also offering new rounds of prizes to participants, and honouring some of the bonnie dancers who come to our White Heather Club. And there’ll also be a few surprises on the way.”
Celebrating Scottish culture
Bonnie & Wild’s White Heather Club has already proved to be a hugely popular night in Edinburgh’s events calendar, with thousands of Scots and city visitors having taken part in the regular ceilidhs, which are held on the last Thursday of every month and are free. Mr Barrie added: “With ScotlandShop’s partnership, we’ll see a lot more tartan on the night, made in Scotland of course. The White Heather Club is a celebration of Scottish culture, something that all of us at Bonnie & Wild are passionate about, whether it’s the food and drink we offer, the chefs and business we work with, and our love of the land through our sponsorship of the Scottish Landscape Photographer Awards.”
Anna White, Founder of ScotlandShop, said: “Like Bonnie & Wild, we are passionate about celebrating Scottish culture, including of course the many tailored tartan garments and fabulous fabrics woven here in Scotland. But we also embrace Scotland’s wider culture, its food, drink, music and of course our country dancing. We know these are very important to our customers who I’m sure will be excited by the White Heather Club and our involvement in it.” Taking the floor on the night, the White Heather Club is led by the Charlie Kirkpatrick Band, one of Scotland’s best ceilidh bands and a regular at ceilidhs across the country as well as on radio.
The White Heather Club takes place on the last Thursday of every month at Bonnie & Wild, St James Quarter, Edinburgh. Starting at 8pm, tickets are free and can be reserved online: www.bonnieandwildmarket.com