New Brunswick Highland Games and Scottish Festival Inc.

Since 1981 the New Brunswick Highland Games Festival has been working to advance knowledge of the Scottish / Celtic culture and heritage in New Brunswick. The festival programming includes workshops (Gaelic language Scottish rituals whisky tasting highland dance for kids introduction to bagpipes etc.) Scottish foods Celtic music performances pipe band and highland dance competitions genealogy children's entertainment and Scottish athletic competitions. The festival attracts visitors from Canada the United States and overseas and encourages attendees who claim wish to claim or simply enjoy Scottish heritage to 'Be a Scot for the Weekend'. Visitors are encouraged to participate in workshops cheer on competitors and immerse themselves in Scottish culture. The organization has a core 20 volunteer planning committee members and counts on the participation of over 150 volunteers on the Festival weekend. The NB Highland Games celebrated its 41th anniversary in 2024 with a free concert featuring ECMA and Juno award winning artists The East Pointers in downtown Fredericton. The festival also featured performances by 35 local Celtic artists and brought in well-known artists from Nova Scotia and Ontario for headlining acts. The Festival also features hundreds of pipe band musicians athletes and dancers who attend the festival to compete in their respective specialties. We are working to integrate the Festival into the Downtown core of Fredericton with our headlining kickoff concert taking place there and a new partnership to bring small Celtic music shows to local pubs in the week leading up to the Festival.