The Caledonian Society of France
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Its principal activities are the St Andrew’s Night Dinner
and Ball held in late November, or early December; this is the last remaining
formal event on the British community's social calendar and is most often
held in the presence of the British Ambassador to France. The other major
function is Burns' Night, a celebration of Scotland’s national poet, which
takes place as close as possible to the Bard's birthday on January 25th.
Other events organised for Society members and their friends have included
whisky tastings, outings to places of interest with Scottish connections,
and charity ceilidhs to raise funds for deserving causes in Scotland.
An afternoon of picnicking and dancing is held in the Shakespeare Garden
(Bois de Boulogne) on May Day every year.
The Society maintains close links with other groups in Paris, whose vocation is also the promotion of various facets of Scottish culture, past and present.
Anyone, whether Scots-born or not, who is attracted by all things
Scottish, may apply for membership, which offers advantageous rates to
most events
In keeping with its statutes, The Caledonian Society of France is actively
involved in the raising of funds for deserving causes in Scotland. In
recent years, largely by means of Charity Ceilidhs (evenings of music
and dancing), the Society has been able to support The Prince and Princess
of Wales Hospice (Glasgow), the Sick Children’s Hospital (Edinburgh),
the Guide Dogs for the Blind Training Centre (Forfar), Burns’ Cottage
(Alloway), the Marie Curie Foundation (Edinburgh) and CHAS (Edinburgh),
Save the Children (Scotland) to name but a few.
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Anyone, whether Scots-born or not, who is attracted by all things Scottish, may apply for membership of the Society.