Don a tartan and be immersed in tradition at the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games, returning this year Aug. 11 to 14.
Over 22,000 people attended the event last year to experience the four pillars of Scottish tradition: pipes and drums, clan gatherings, highland dancing and heavy events.
Festival president Dave Radley explained the four pillars make the event unique.
“People have to know when they come there, they’re going to experience as we call it, Scotland without the airfare,” he said.
“It’s such a diverse Scottish experience.”
Downtown
The festival kicks off with the Pipes, Plaid and Pageantry Parade on Aug. 11 in downtown Fergus. Starting at 7:30pm at Highland Park, floats and participants head north on St. David Street and left on St. Andrew Street West, ending at the Fergus Legion.
Downtown pubs O’Brien’s, Brewhouse, Goofie Newfie and Fergus Legion, offer entertainment throughout the weekend.
The Fergus library will be the starting point for historical walking tours on Friday and Saturday.
Get your fill of Celtic music with a Celtic traditions concert at the Fergus Grand Theatre Saturday at 8pm, a Celtic jam at the Brewhouse Friday 3 to 5pm and wandering pipers throughout the downtown on Friday from 12 to 4pm.
Music
Much-loved Albannach return with their foot-stomping, heart-stopping “bareknuckle pipes and drums” at the Highland Pub throughout the weekend. Other musical performances by NUA, Steel City Rovers, Screeched Inn, Mahones and much more take the stage each day.
Clans
Over 40 clans, from Arthur to Young, will be housed at the festival’s Avenue of the Clans, open throughout the weekend. Clan history as well as information and artifacts special to the individual clans will be on display as part of the largest clan gathering in Canada.
The featured clan this year is Clan Leslie. They will be holding their clan gathering at the Fergus Scottish Festival and Alexander John Leslie, is the Honoured Chieftain for the weekend of this year’s festival.
Catch the gathering of the clans and the lighting of the hearth during the Friday night Tattooed in Tradition. The parade of clans will take place during the welcoming ceremonies at noon on Saturday.
Heritage
Relive the age of Scottish pioneers at the Heritage Tent. Interactive displays of spinning and weaving, rope making, lace making and stone wall construction as well as demonstrations of sheep shearing and blacksmithing take place throughout the weekend.
Hear stories from Seamus Gunn, a traditional Scottish storyteller, and listen to the Songs of Scotland with Craig Ashton.
McKiddies
Children of all ages will love the numerous events during the festival. Crafts, face painting, story telling, dance, music and port are all part of the fun at the McKiddies area located behind the Loch Ness Monster near the castle on the picturesque Loch Fergus Ness.
Find treasure at the Shananigans’ Tinker Wagon, which is alive with the sounds of penny whistles, kazoos, tambourines and drums. The festival website states that as far back as the 12th century, tinkers have travelled around the countryside busking and selling their wares.
Kids can join Robin Hood’s band of merry men by taking up the sword and learning to duel with knights. Try out the swords and armour with the interactive Knight School.
New this year, Max’s Sport World will attend the festival with archery and trebuchets. Shoot projectiles at the castle with character targets.
More kids events, like tossing a caber, are happening over the course of the weekend and are included in the price of a ticket.
Featured author
Diana Gabaldon, award winning and best selling author of the Outlander book series, is returning to the festival this year with four speaking engagements over the weekend.
She, along with nine other speakers, will be taking to the stage inside the Sportsplex arena on Saturday and Sunday, discussing topics such as diaspora, Gaelic and music.
Heavies
The festival’s not-to-be-missed heavy events will test athletes’ strength and power in eight events of the Highland Games, such as the caber toss, weight for height, weight for distance, hammer thrown, open stone and more.
The events are all sanctioned by the Canadian Scottish Athletic Federation.
The international and North American heavy event competition begins 8:30am on Saturday and continues with the Canadian Open Women’s Scottish Heavy Events and Master’s Scottish Heavy Events championships on Sunday at 9am.
Highland dancing
Continuing with the Scottish tradition of highland dance, the festival offers competitions on a national level for dancers.
Visitors will be able to watch the dancers kick up a storm during the fast-paced routines during the Tattooed in Tradition on Friday night and the massed fling on Saturday during the welcoming ceremonies. Visitors can also catch the competitions starting at 8:30am both Saturday and Sunday.
Pipes and drums
Don’t miss the quintessential Scottish sound of bagpipes and drums in solo and band competitions and performances from Thursday to Sunday.
At 7:30pm on Friday the bands take to the field during the Tattooed in Tradition for a massed band performance featuring Paris/Port Dover Pipe Band.
Tickets
These events and many more are happening at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex and in downtown Fergus from Thursday to Sunday.
Grab a weekend pass for $50 ($40 for youths under 18 and seniors over 60). Individual tickets are $25 for Friday and Saturday and $18 on Sunday ($20 and $15 for youth and seniors). Kids under 12 are free.
Purchase tickets and find information, along with a schedule of events, at fergusscottishfestival.com.
