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Highland games (Scottish Gaelic: geamannan Gàidhealach) are events held in spring and summer in Scotland and other countries with a large Scottish diaspora, as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture, especially that of the Scottish Highlands. Certain aspects of the games are so well known as to have become emblematic of Scotland, such as the bagpipes, the kilt, and the heavy events, especially the caber toss and weight over bar. While centred on competitions in piping and drumming, dancing, and Scottish heavy athletics, the games also include entertainment and exhibits related to other aspects of Scottish and Gaelic cultures.
The Cowal Highland Gathering, better known as the Cowal Games, is held in Dunoon, Scotland, every August. It is the largest Highland games in the world,[a] attracting around 3,500 competitors and somewhere in the region of 23,000 spectators[1][2] from around the globe. Worldwide, however, it is exceeded in terms of spectators by three gatherings in the United States: the estimated 30,000[3] that attend Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina; the New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival, which attracts over 35,000 annually; and the even larger Northern California gathering—the largest in the Northern Hemisphere[4]—that has taken place every year since 1866.[5] This event, the Scottish Highland Gathering and Games, is currently held on Labor Day weekend in Pleasanton, California; the sesquicentennial event held on 5–6 September 2015 attracted record crowds close to 50,000.[4]
The games are claimed to have influenced Baron Pierre de Coubertin when he was planning the revival of the Olympic Games. De Coubertin saw a display of Highland games at the Paris Exhibition of 1889.[6][b]
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- ^ "Cowal Highland Gatcitationhering". Archived from the original on 9 August 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ "Cowal Highland Gathering". cowalgathering.com. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- ^ "Grandfather Mountain Highland Games Fast Facts". 12 July 2010.
- ^ a b "Scottish Games Draw Record Crowds". The Independent. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ "150th Scottish Highland Gathering & Games". thescottishgames.com. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ Horne, Marc (25 April 2010). "Highland games were the model for modern Olympics". The Times. London, England. Retrieved 3 May 2010.