Scottish highland games in the Pacific Northwest

From PNWcommunity

There is a very active Scottish community in the Pacific Northwest. In the states of Washington and Oregon, and the province of British Columbia, there are nearly two dozen Highland Games festivals held each year, principally during the Summer months beginning in about the middle of May and running through September.

All of these games feature a full range of Scottish highland activities, including piping and drumming, highland dancing, and Scottish athletics, including the ever popular caber toss.

The Northwest is also home to over two dozen pipe bands, including the multiple World Champion Simon Fraser University pipe band (4 time World Champion in the past 10 years), which makes an appearance at the Bellingham, Skagit Valley, and Pacific Northwest games each year.

Many of these games are attended by thousands of fairgoers. The popularity and large number of attendees ensures a large number of vendors of Scottish related merchandise and souvenirs.

[edit] 2009 Highland Games Schedule

Athena Caledonian Games City Park Athena, Oregon July 11 & 12, 2009

for more information: www.athenacaledoniangames.org

April 8	National Tartan Day Celebration	Puyallup, WA
	Comox Valley Highland Games	Courtenay, BC
	Victoria Highland Games	Esquimalt, BC
	Bellingham Highland Games	Ferndale, WA
June 17	Prosser Scottish Festival	Prosser, WA
	BC Legion Highland Gathering	Sooke, Vancouver Island, BC
	Tacoma Highland Games	Graham, WA
	BC Highland Games	Coquitlam, BC
	Penticton Highland Games	Penticton, BC
	Skagit Valley Highland Games	Mount Vernon, WA
July 29-30	Pacific Northwest Highland Games	Enumclaw, WA
Aug 1	Spokane Highland Games	Spokane, WA
Aug 8	Whidbey Island Highland Games	Greenbank, WA
Sep 12-13	Kelso Highland Festival	Kelso, WA