Since the mid 1970’s the Highlands Games and Festival has been the one of the best places to experience Scottish culture in the United States. Once a year the lush foothills of White Mountains of New Hampshire transforms into the Scottish Highlands of old. The main focus of the festival is to educate and celebrate Scottish clans, history and way of life. A part of this celebration is represented by competitors from all over the globe who come to showcase their Scottish skills. They face off in competitions such as piping (bag pipes), drumming, dancing, fiddle playing and heavy Scottish athletics. If you're like me then you're asking “what are heavy Scottish athletics?”. They consist of feats of strength that include hammer toss, caber toss, weight over bar, weight for distance and the sheaf toss. While you're learning about the rich Scottish culture take time and try one of the tasting seminars. They will show you how and why beers and whisky from Scotland taste unique. Not only is this a festival for adults, it’s a great place to bring the entire family. They feature a youth program that teaches authentic craft making, storytelling, games and interaction with the bagpipe and dance performers. I got the opportunity to interview event representative Carol Fusaro about the event and what it means to the community.
RAL: Tell me about the event.
CF: The New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival, which runs from September 18th to the 20th at the Loon Mountain Resort in Lincoln, NH. It is a three-day celebration of Scottish heritage, music, food and drink, athletics, dance, and more. Visitors will enjoy the pageantry and excitement of piping & drumming, pipe band, highland dancing, fiddle, harp, sheep dogs, and heavy Scottish athletic competitions. More than 60 clans will be wearing their tartans and bringing their heritage to clan village. Living history encampments will bring the rich cultural history of Scotland to life. Renowned for its outstanding entertainment, the NH Highland Games & Festival features multiple venues with Scottish and Celtic performers playing traditional and modern music. We are proud to announce that 2015 is our 40th Anniversary. This event attracts all people and we average an attendance of between 20,000 to 25,000 people.
RAL: What makes this event unique?
CF: This is an opportunity to discover Scotland’s culture, history, food, and music without a passport. The New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival features a greater range of activities than other highland games that occur in the US:
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Whisky Tastings – four tastings are held Friday & Saturday to introduce our attendees to the subtleties of different single malt scotches
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Beer Tastings – two tastings on Friday to show differences between craft beers and Scottish beers.
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A Mixology Evening – Laphroaig Single Malt Scotch made into refreshing cocktails and paired with different courses of food.
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Three on-site venues for world class Scottish/Celtic music. Daily admission gives guest access to all three venues that have continuous music.
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Invitational Athletic event that brings the top professional athletes from around the world
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Sheep Dog Trials on Friday
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Seminars offering topics from genealogy to history to haunted castles
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A living history area where visitors can see how people from Scotland lived 200-400 years ago.
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A vibrant youth program that exposes our younger attendees to Scottish culture at their level.
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The Scottish Stone Circle and Paver Garden, memorializing loved ones/celebrating milestones/memories of the Games, whose net profits help fund our scholarship program.
RAL: Are there any famous guest appearances?
CF: In 2015, Hafƥor Bjornsson who plays the Mountain on HBO’s Game of Thrones & Strongman Competitor (two time Europe’s Strongest Man 2014 & 2015, second place in the 2014 World’s Strongest Man Contest) will be at the event all weekend.
RAL: What will a visitor find to eat at the festival?
CF: During the day, food is available at food tents & inside the two ski lodges. Food ranges from regular fare to traditional Scottish food including Scottish meat pies & bridies, haggis, fish & chips, Sheppard’s pie. Beer tents highlight some Scottish beers in addition to American standards. In the evening, food is available in the town of Lincoln. There are sponsored evening events that include The Tartan Dinner, Mixology Evening and a Cape Breton Evening with food from the Canadian Maritimes followed by a Cape Breton music concert.
RAL: What can an attendee expect to find for local lodging?
CF: Lodging ranges from campgrounds to bed & breakfasts to local hotels to condo/timeshare rentals. There are a few small and chain hotels as you get closer to Littleton and Plymouth, towns that are within a 30 minute drive of Lincoln.
RAL: What does the festival mean to the community?
CF: The timing of the Games is between the end of summer visitors and the peak foliage visitors. Therefore, it adds a huge boost to the town of Lincoln during a bit of a downtime. Restaurants are full, lodging is at max capacity, and a number of our attendees continue their stay to make a mini-vacation out of the trip. The local Boy Scout troop sells our programs, and the local high school’s booster club volunteers to collect/sell tickets and many other tasks over the weekend. Both organizations receive a donation from the event to assist in their direct involvement with the community. By the beginning of May, about 75% of the lodging is already reserved for that year’s event. By the weekend of the event, finding a room in the town of Lincoln is tough. In the recent study by Plymouth State University indicated that 100% of the lodging in the Lincoln-Woodstock area is sold out for the weekend of the event.
RAL: Why should people come to your event?
CF: For someone who is Scottish, this event allows them to immerse themselves into their culture, history, and heritage. For those who are not Scottish, we always say “join us and be Scottish for a day” or “Discover Scotland, no passport required”. There is so much to see and experience: some historical, some traditional, some uniquely Scottish modern, some just in the physical surroundings, and all of it fun. When we poll our visitors, a very common response is “Once I came in whatever year, I have been back every since. Husbands and wives have met at the Games, a couple loves the Games so much that the Games is the focal point for their wedding reception.
For more information on this unique and fun festival please visit their website.