Highland Games Around the World

Although Scotland is famous for Highland Games, there are Highland Games all over the world, from the USA to New Zealand, all of which promote Scottish culture and traditions.  You can read all about the Highland Games Traditions and Scottish Events on our blog.

Grandfather Mountain Games

The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in North Carolina is one of the biggest events outside of Scotland, and has been held since 1956. The Games have all the elements of a traditional Scottish Highland Games, but with a typically North Carolina twist - there’s plenty of barbeque food to enjoy!

Glengarry Highland Games

Further north, the Glengarry Highland Games and the Fergus Highland Games are some of the most popular Highland Games in Canada, and they are true celebrations of Scottish heritage, with plenty of Scottish competitions, music, dance, sports, pageantry and tradition.

Discover more about Glengarry Highland Games from our interview with the Director of Bands, Gilbert, and now that this event has become a regular in the ScotlandShop calendar come and see us in the tartan tent if you are in the area.

Quechee Scottish Games & Festival

Quechee Scottish Games has been around for 45 years, taking many different forms along the way. It brings Scottish heritage to Vermont and gives people the opportunity to discover their clan and connect to their lineage. And it’s not only locals, the Games bring people from across the globe to celebrate Scottish culture. The Games is home to the traditional events like piping and dancing, but also features Clan Societies, Sheep dogs and of course a beer tent.

We are excited to be attending this year for all the festivities and we will try very hard to stay away from the beer tent. (No promises)

Join us at Quechee Scottish Games & Festival and read our interview with New England Scottish Arts who run the Games!

CNY Scottish Games & Celtic Festival

CNY Scottish Games celebrated its 80th games in 2023 and to mark such a special occasion they adopted Douglas Modern as their featured tartan for the event. Clan Douglas played a significant role in the founding of the games. While the origin of the games was traced back to the 1930’s it wasn’t until after World War II that the festival was formally established.

In 1945, Clan Douglas #232, Order of the Scottish Clans was formed, the members were focussed on restarting their Scottish games in the area. They quickly found a new venue for the event at Onondaga Lake Park. In 1984, many of the older clan members struggled to continue to run the Games, with this they created a non-profit corporation ‘The Central New York Scottish Games’, along with the help from members of the Scottish community.

This year, 2025, the featured tartan is the Gunn tartan. 
 

We are not only excited to catch some of these fantastic events but we are excited to meet some Heilan Coos! Spring Flight Farm are attending with two very special Highland Cows. Definitely a fun photo opportunity!

Spring Flight Farm's Highland Cow

Currently the games are held at Long Branch Park, at Onondaga Lake Park, featuring all the traditional events from piping to heavy athletics, providing a day filled to the gunnels with Scottish celebrations. One amazing thing we love about the CNY Scottish Games is their passion to include children in the event, they have their very own 'Kid's Games'. In the weeks leading up to the games there is just a fantastic team who help the kids learn new talents to help them compete at the fun Kid's Games.

Capital District Scottish Games | Dancers

One of the criteria in choosing the location for our first US store was that we had to have a Highland Games nearby to adopt. Not even half an hour away every September Altamont Fairground is overwhelmed with all things Scotland and the Capital District Scottish Games takes pride of place, and we are very proud to be there with our tent full of tartan, including of course the county’s very own Albany tartan. There is a rich history behind the event, beginning with the mighty MacRae clan. The MacRaes lived in the area and organised the first Scottish Games in the Region in 1939.

They then kept the games going at the Locomotive Club in Schenectady until 1966. Unfortunately, there was a 12 year break where there were no games. The Schenectady Pipe Band then revived the Capital District Scottish Games in 1978 and helped it grow into the games we know and love today, at the Altamont Fairgrounds. And of course it is this very same pipe band who we will be eternally grateful to as they played when we opened our Albany store, the very first time our new landlord heard the skirl of the pipes!

The Games will feature the traditional athletic games, including the caber toss, hammer throws and stone puts. You can find out more about how to train to be a champion with female athlete Janine Tessarzik who frequently competes at Altamont in our interview on our Youtube channel. There will be a plethora of colourful Scottish dancers performing on stage, and of course no games are complete without pipe music. To complement all these exciting events is a variety of food, featuring some traditional Scottish meals, like haggis.

New Hampshire Highland Games | Heavy Weight Competitor

The New Hampshire Highland Games may be one of the biggest Games in America now, however it wasn’t always that way. You would be surprised to learn that it started out as a Clan picnic in 1975, just one year and a lot of planning later the initial Highland Games was formed. You may know the Games as NHSCOT. NHSCOT are not only the host of the New Hampshire Highland Games but also spread awareness of Scottish history with their annual Heritage Lecture Series.

The New Hampshire Games hosts The Caledonian Clash, a heavy weight competition. The event sees five teams of seven, compete in seven traditional heavy athletic events: the Braemar Stone, Open Stone, Heavy Weight for Distance, Light Weight for Distance, Weight Over Bar, Sheaf Toss, and fan favourite, Caber Toss. What team will you be backing this year?

With the opening of our Albany store in 2022 we were delighted to become sponsor and vendor at the Games and this event is now a regular in our calendar, so much so that we have dedicated an entire blog to it! We are also proud to offer the New Hampshire tartan on our website and you can show your support and have any item made up in the beautiful greens and purples crossed with red.

Alongside this, NHSCOT also hosts a lively music festival named Beltane and helps celebrate Hogmanay the Scottish Way. The NH Highland Games and Festival take place at the beautiful Loon Mountain Resort providing a mountainous backdrop to the epic events. The games will feature everything from Scottish music, dance, food, and fun to heavy athletics, sheep dog trials, and crowd-favourite, massed bands.

Breadalbane Scottish Gathering and Games 2025

The Annual Breadalbane Scottish Games and Gathering is held in the village of Broadalbin, NY. The village's name derives from the Breadalbane Region in Scotland. It has links to the MacDonalds of Glencoe and Campbells of Argyle and Breadalbane.

Run by the Great Sacandaga Brewing Company on their premises, the event features competitive games in the back grass area, Scottish music, dancers, bagpipes, vendors and fun!

In 2025, the games are on Saturday 24th May and we are delighted to share we will be there. There will be at least one blacksmith, bagpipers, fly fishing, St. Andrew’s Society Albany and Schenectady, Second Act Spirits, and The Empire Throwing Club will start their games at 9am that day.

We spoke to Mac Dillman from The Empire Throwing Club who told us about how and why he set up the club, upcoming events, how to join and of course his favourite tartan. Read the full interview here.

For more info, please visit our Events page. 

Photo by Blaze Photography

If trying a Scotch egg and haggis is on your bucket list then the Genesee County Village and Museum Celtic Faire is the place to be. With ample of traditional Scottish food and drink stalls to try. Alongside memorable food, there will be a weekend of athletic competitions, historic demonstrations and music galore. 

Genesee County Village and Museum Celtic Faire (Image- Genesee Valley Penny Saver)

There is also a handful of Clan Booths, so you can meet the society and share your Clan connections. This year sees Clan Baird, Barclay, Ferguson, Hannay, Kerr and many more. The clans change every year, so please check their website for updates.

Did you know that our local Crieff Highland Gathering is twinned with the Ohio Scottish Games & Celtic Festival held at Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds every year? Run by The Scottish American Cultural Society of Ohio, the Games take place over 2 days and include all the traditional piping, heavy athletics and highland dancing competitions as well as the Kirkin' of the Tartan and Kilted Mile on Saturday morning and many other brilliant attractions. Particularly of interest has to be the "How to start a Scottish clan" workshop! On June 28th, 2008 the proclamation to become Twin/Sister games was signed by Mike Mihalic, President of the Ohio Scottish Games and then on August 17th by John McWilliam, the Chairman of The Crieff Highland Gathering. 3500 miles may separate the two events but a strong partnership has been formed and ideas and experiences can be shared across the pond.

Ceud Mìle Fàilte! Ten Thousand Welcomes from The Saint Andrew’s Society of Maine. The line up of events is phenomenal with both the traditional Heavy Athletics and Youth Athletics, Massed Pipes and Drums, Scottish Dancing Demos by Laura Scott (with the opportunity for participation so don't forget your dancing shoes), Scottish Story Telling by Dr Emily McEwan, Sheep Herding, rousing Celtic music from 7 Nations and Cetlica Nova and the list goes on. This promises to be a great day!

Another highlight of the day has to be Chef Margaret Salt McLellan. Book yourself into the VIP luncheon to truly enjoy her talents. Margaret trained at The Culinary Institute of America and Le cordon bleu in London and then went on to gain a degree in nutrition from the University of Florida. If you get up close then you can spot a tattoo of a lobster with the words "giaomach" underneath on her left forearm, merited given her title of Lobster Chef of the Year in 2008. 

Litchfield Hills Highland Games brings Highland Games back to Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT. The day will feature heavy athletics, pipe bands, whisky tasting, faux haggis toss, a bicycle ride, vendors, clans and societies and so much more. 

Litchfield Hills Highland Games- Photo source Lime Rock

Lime Rock Park is one of the oldest racing tracks in the US and has been operating since 1957. Built on a former sand and gravel quarry, Lime Rock Park has hosted major events such NASCAR, American Le Mans Series, Trans AM and World Challenge and has been pivotal in the history of American motorsports.

We were delighted to design the Lime Rock Park tartan which was inspired by the family tartan worn by legendary Scottish racing driver, Jim Clark as well as the Park’s primary brand colours. 

We're looking forward to being at the Games with our tartan tent again this year! 

The Hammond Scottish Festival New York began in 2018 when the Hammond Historical Museum hosted a celebration to celebrate 200 years since the first Scottish settlers arrived in the area. The festival has since become an annual event, showcasing Scottish culture and history through various activities, including a 5K Kilt Run/Walk, Highland Games, Celtic music, dance performances, historical demonstrations, and more. 

5K Kilt Walk- Image Hammond Museum

The Hammond Historical Museum also opens its doors to the public during the festival, the main building of the museum was built in 1998 and over the years a barn, stone house, carriage shed and blacksmith shop were added. Locals donated bits of historic artifacts and knowledge and pulled together to form the Robert T. Elethorp Historical Society. 

The Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival began around 30 years ago as a way to raise funds for an historic building in Blandford. Blandford is a town in Massachusetts that Ulster Scots settled in in the early 1700s. The festival in modern day celebrates the heritage of the Scottish settlers and offers a unique educational experience through historical re-enactments and demonstrations. The re-enactments depict life in Scotland during the period of Scottish independence, including military traditions, cooking, herbal medicine, and crafting.  Visitors can also witness demonstrations of skills like turning wool into plaid and woodworking, showcasing traditional craft techniques. 

Clan Davidson- Image The Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival

Chicago Scottish Festival & Highland Games

The Scottish Festival & Highland Games has activities and attractions for everyone – from the Caber Toss to Highland Dancing to the Dogs of Scotland. This family-friendly outdoor event is a chance to explore Scottish culture. All proceeds benefit the Chicago Scots and Caledonia Senior Living & Memory Care.

Chicago Scots (The Illinois Saint Andrew Society) is the oldest not-for-profit in Illinois, founded in 1845.

Discover more about The Chicago Scots & The Illinois Tartan on our blog.

Although famous for its sun, sea and beaches, did you know that Fort Lauderdale has its own Highland Games? First held in 1984, and attracting over 8000 Floridians,
join us as we explore the history of the South East Florida Festival and Highland Games.

The Scottish American Society of South Florida (SASSF) was created in 1983, when a group of Scots and Scottish-Americans banded together to organise a festival in Key Biscayne to introduce the people of South Florida to the rich culture of Scotland. Although South Florida was home to several pipe bands, Scottish dance groups, and social clubs, there was no overall coordinated local celebration of Scottish heritage. This was unexpected given that many founders of the South Florida community were of Scottish descent, notably: Major William Lauderdale; the Matheson family, who were influential in the settlement of Key Biscayne; and Guy Metcalf, who was the founding editor of the Tropical Sun, Palm Beach's first newspaper.

Southeast Florida Scottish Festival an Highland Games Mascot

Following the formation of the Scottish American Society of South Florida, the next aim was to identify a place in which the festival could be held. The old zoo in Crandon Park on Key Biscayne was vacant and was the ideal location. At the time, the members of the organisation had very little experience in events management, but this was easily compensated by their levels of enthusiasm. Although some members brought their family traditions and Scottish culture to the festival, it appealed to not only Scots, but to those with no Celtic roots. The aim of the festival was, therefore, to bring people together, regardless of origin, to experience and celebrate Scottish culture and heritage. 

Did you know that Fort Lauderdale was named after Major William Lauderdale?

The Greater Moncton Highland Games & Scottish Festival is FILLED with music! There are massed pipe bands during the opening and closing ceremonies; this is when all of the pipe bands march together across the field – impressive! In 2022, there are TWO entertainment stages with music all weekend long and special performances by the RCMP Pipes & Drums of New Brunswick & Nova Scotia. Whether it’s the Haggis Poutine or an Alma Lobster roll, you’re sure to find something purely Scottish Canadian to enjoy at the Greater Moncton Highland Games! Each year local sheep dogs show off their herding skills on site, with demonstrations ongoing throughout the day. You can follow the woolly process from sheep to shawl, with shearing and weaving demonstrations on site, too.

Image - Greater Moncton Highland Games

Clan Davidson- Image The Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival

Waipu Highland Games

The Waipu Highland Games in New Zealand have been held since 1989, and were established by a group of Scots who emigrated to New Zealand following the Highland Clearances. You couldn’t possibly get further away in the world from Scotland, but these games have all the classic elements of a traditional Scottish event!

Jakarta Highland Gathering

There are even Highland Games held in Indonesia! The Jakarta Highland Games are an annual event showcasing Scottish culture, with plenty of events to celebrate other cultures as well.

Dressing up is a big part of going along to any Highland Games and the kilt, in particular, is symbol of tradition and competition! The Scottish Highland Games Association states that all events competitors must wear a kilt when they compete.

Whether you are competing or spectating, it is always more fun to make sure you look the part, while of course being ready for any weather thrown at you.

Emily and members of Clan Buchanan | Luss Highland Games 2019

Read our What to Wear to the Highland Games blog for some outfit inspiration!