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Bagpipes, Dragons, and Fire Horses! Robbie Burns Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2026 Returns

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What do you get when you mix Robbie Burns Day, Lunar New Year, haggis, dim sum, kilts, and dragon dances? You get the one-and-only Robbie Burns Gung Haggis Fat Choy Celebration, galloping back in 2026 — the Year of the Fire Horse!

Part Scottish, part Chinese, all Canadian — Gung Haggis Fat Choy is Vancouver’s quirkiest, tastiest, most musical cultural mashup. Founded by local legend Todd Wong (aka Toddish McWong), the celebration has been defying cultural boundaries since 1998, proving that bagpipes and chopsticks really do belong at the same table.

This year, we’re adding an extra spark with the Year of the Fire Horse — a zodiac sign famous for boldness, creativity, and a little bit of mischief. (Sound familiar? That’s pretty much this event’s spirit animal.)

The celebration kicks off at Floata Seafood Restaurant (#400-180 Keefer Street, Vancouver, BC) on February 1, 2026.

About Gung Haggis Fat Choy
Born from a small dinner party in 1998, Gung Haggis Fat Choy has grown into one of Vancouver’s most unique traditions — part cultural exchange, part comedy, part feast, and 100% fun. Bagpipes meet dragons, kilts meet cheongsams, and Robbie Burns meets Kung Fu Panda.

Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia (CCHSBC) Dinner Honouring Winnie L. Cheung

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Last year, Todd and Catherine Clement (curator and author of the Paper Trail) were co-winners of the Larry Wong Prize from the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia (CCHSBC). This award honours individuals and organizations that impact the public history of Chinese Canadian history and heritage.  This year’s CCHSBC’s Annual Celebratory Dinner honoured our friend Winnie L. Cheung, educator, community-builder, and co-founder of The Pacific Canada Heritage Centre – Museum of Migration (PCHC – MoM) Society and former board member of ACWW.  

Todd Wong, Prairie Chiu, Effie Pow

Catherine Clement and Todd

Allan Cho and Steven Wong

Winnie L. Cheung

Gung Haggis Fat Choy — Sunday, January 28, 2024, 12.00pm

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Join us for an afternoon of intercultural fusion at Gung Haggis 2024 with food, music, and poetry!

Food Menu:

  • A selection of dim sum
  • Including our deep-fried haggis wonton dumplings
  • Traditional Scottish-Cdn haggis served with traditional Chinese-Canadian lettuce wrap
  • Chinese chicken wings
  • Chow Mein/Long Life Noodles
  • Dessert

Tickets are available for individual purchase or a table of 8!

Gung Haggis Fat Choy makes #5 on the list for Global Burns Facts from the HistoryScotland.com website!

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The History Scotland.com website lists 10 “facts you (probably) didn’t know about Burns Night, celebrated around the world on 25 January in memory of poet Robert Burns.”

#5.  Since 1999, the ‘Gung Haggis Fat Choy’ takes place in Vancouver, Canada. This multicultural event, blending Burns Night and Chinese New Year, features Scottish and Chinese poetry as well as a very rare delicacy – Haggis & Shrimp Wonton Dumplings. 

Gung Haggis Fat Choy often gets attention from Scotland.  Earlier this month, founder Todd Wong was asked by a BBC World News program for an interview for the travel program.  In past years, he has often been interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland. A few years ago, the Burns Birthplace Museum even posted an article about GHFC in Vancouver.

https://www.historyscotland.com/history/ten-global-burns-supper-facts/?fbclid=IwAR35tcnKn7OaPfpqyRfyQiO6xwqvHv570-sy6hsmeSdQEc549No3KxxSDeI

Opening Night of CHINATOWN September 13, 2022 at the Vancouver Playhouse

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Allan Cho, Executive Director of the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop (ACWW), author Paul Yee, and Todd (me)

13 – 17 September 2022. Vancouver Playhouse

CITY OPERA announces the cast, directors, designers, dates, and tickets for the world premiere opera

Librettist: Madeleine Thien
Composer: Alice Ping Yee Ho
Hoisan translator: Paul Yee

The cast of CHINATOWN is Spencer Britten, Saihin • Vania Chan, Wen-li • Erica Iris Huang, Hoisan Singer

Derek Kwan Eugene • Matthew Li, Xon Pon, Emma Parkinson, Anna

artistic and design team for CHINATOWN is:

Mary Chun, Music Director, and Conductor
Debi Wong, Stage Director

Trudy Chalmers, Producer
David Kerr, Production Manager
Camellia Koo, Set Design
John Webber, Lighting Design
Charlotte Chang, Costume Design
James Nesbitt, Projection Design
Alessandro Juliani, Sound Design
Estella Lum, Graphic Design
Roger Parton, Music Editor, Principal Coach and Pianist
Susan Ma, Community Engagement Coordinator
Victoria Wilcott, General Manager

Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2022 – A Scottish-Asian Tradition Virtually

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It was 1998 and as the Chinese Lunar New Year fell only two days away from Robbie Burns Day, which is always January 25, Todd decided to celebrate the Scottish Bard’s birthday along with the Lunar New Year. “Gung Haggis Fat Choy!” said Wong, “I can celebrate two cultures at the same time.” And thus was born the Vancouver cultural premiere that culinary and media personalities have come to celebrate this cultural mashup that features deep-fried haggis wontons, haggis dim sum, and haggis lettuce wrap with a glass of scotch each year. Gung Haggis Fat Choy started out as a small fundraiser of 16 people in 1998 in a crowded living room. Twenty years later it serves dinner at the biggest Chinese Restaurant in North America, and has spun off a CBC television performance special, and the SFU Gung Haggis Fat Choy Canadian Games. in almost all the food that we normally serve at a GHFC Banquet Dinner.  

This year our performers include:

Songs we’ll singalong to:

  • Michael & Rosie will perform a traditional Robbie Burns song.
  • BRAND NEW!  Todd Wong’s performance of Address to a Haggis, set to a Johnny Cash tune.
  • Auld Lang Syne (original lyrics by Robbie Burns – lyrics in Chinese (found somewhere on the internet)

THIS YEAR IS IT!  EVERY 60 YEARS ROBBIE BURNS DAY AND LUNAR NEW YEAR FALL ON THE SAME DAY!   IT ONLY HAPPENS ONCE EVERY 60 YEARS!

JOIN US for this cosmic countdown to start off your year!  And enjoy an evening of intercultural fusion at Gung Haggis 2020 with food, music, readings, and scotch!  

This year’s schedule of events include:

  • A dinner menu, with the now world-renowned haggis wonton
  • More readings, more music, and more fun!
  • A sneak peak of the menu from previous Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinners

About Gung Haggis:

It was 1998 and as the Chinese Lunar New Year fell only two days away from Robbie Burns Day, which is always January 25, Todd decided to celebrate the Scottish Bard’s birthday along with the Lunar New Year.  “Gung Haggis Fat Choy!” said Wong, “I can celebrate two cultures at the same time.”  And thus was born the Vancouver cultural premiere that culinary and media personalities have come to celebrate this cultural mashup that features deep-fried haggis wontons, haggis dim sum, and haggis lettuce wrap with a glass of scotch each year. 

 Gung Haggis Fat Choy started out as a small fundraiser of 16 people in 1998 in a crowded living room. Twenty years later it serves dinner at the biggest Chinese Restaurant in North America, and has spun off a CBC television performance special, and the SFU Gung Haggis Fat Choy Canadian Games.   

“Gung Haggis Fat Choy is the ultimate fusion feast.” – Georgia Straight

“Haggis wontons? Robbie Burns Night meets Chinese New Year.” – Globe & Mail

“Gung Haggis Fat Choy: This Canadian Celebration Combines Robert Burns Night and Chinese New Year.” – Smithsonian

“Haggis and Chow Mein Collide at Seattle’s Gung Haggis Fat Choy.” – Vice

“Hold the sheep’s stomach lining.” – MacLean’s Magazine

For more information, visit https://www.gunghaggis.com/.