RBANA is an association dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of the life, works and philosophy of Scotland’s National Bard – Robert Burns, and to promote Scottish culture and heritage in North America.
The genesis for the Association came from a meeting in 1981 of representatives from six Burns Clubs, in Annapolis, Maryland. A committee was formed to further explore their ideas. In 1982 at a meeting in Hamilton, Ontario a constitution was drawn up. The name “The North American Association of Federated Burnsians” was adopted.
At the 2000 Annual General Meeting in London, Ontario the name ” The Robert Burns Association of North America ” (RBANA) was adopted. RBANA is affiliated with the Robert Burns World Federation Limited, in Kilmarnock, Scotland.
Usually taking place in April or May, RBANA Annual Conference and General Meeting is held every year, alternating between Canada and the United States.
Recent Conferences have been held in:-
Halifax, NS (2006), Winnipeg, MB (2007 & 2011), Houston, TX, on a cruise ship (2008), Mississauga, ON (2009), Detroit, MI (2010), Williamsburg, VA (2012), Niagara Falls, ON (2013), Columbia, SC, in conjunction with the University of South Carolina (2014), Calgary AB (2015), Dallas – Ft Worth, TX (2016), Medicine Hat, AB (2017), Philadelphia, PA (2018) and Niagara Falls, ON (2019).
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, conferences were cancelled in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Conferences after Covid were Calgary, AB (2023), South Jersey, NJ (2024) and Atlanta, GA (2025) and the next conference is in Edmonton, AB (2026). Please look under Conferences for information about registering for the conference and reservations at the conference hotel.
