Saskatchewan Highland Gathering and Celtic Festival
May 18 • Victoria Park
Welcome
Fáilte! It’s time once again to celebrate all things Scottish. Head on down to Victoria Park this weekend for pipes, drums, cabers, dancing shoes, kiosks, drinks and fiddles.
Watch your favourite competition, whether it be piping & drumming, highland dancing, heavy athletics, or all three!
Take in a showcase of performers in the Festival Tent while enjoying a refreshing beverage.
Take a stroll through the vendors market and find something unique.
There’s even a bouncy castle and other activities for the kids.
And don’t miss the Saturday night ceilidh with legendary piper Fred Morrison.
Visit saskhighland.ca for more details and to buy tickets.
Scroll down for event highlights.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
8:00 am Gates open
8:30 am Queen City Highland Dance Championship
8:30 am Solo Piping and Drumming begins
9:00 am Scottish Athletics Competition
11:00 am Festival Tent opens
12:00 pm Blakey School of Irish Dance
12:45 pm Fred Morrison
1:00 pm Afternoon athletic events
1:15 pm Pipe Band Competitions
1:30 pm The Highlanders
2:00 pm Pre-premier Highland dancing
3:15 pm West of Mabou
4:00 pm The Caber Toss
4:15 pm The Tilted Kilts
5:00 pm Massed pipes and drums and awards
7:30 pm Ceilidh at The Exchange
TICKETS
Save time by purchasing your tickets online.
MAIN FESTIVAL: Adult $20. Youth/Senior $10. 11 and under are free.
PRAIRIE PIPING INVITATIONAL: Online advance tickets $10 (plus online fee). At the Door $15. 11 and under are free. Cash bar available.
SATURDAY NIGHT CEILIDH: Online advance tickets $10 (plus online fee). Cash bar available.
Festival Tent
Enjoy a drink while catching some live music and dance. The festival tent features a stage with performers all afternoon, while Pile O’ Bones Brewing and Last Mountain Distillery serve up some great locally produced beer and spirits. See below for the line-up.
Blakey School of Irish Dance
12:00 pm • Blakey is one of the top Irish dance schools in Western Canada, and have produced Regional, National and World champions.
Fred Morrison
12:45 pm • Fred is a master of the Highland bagpipes, low whistle and once-rare uilleann pipes. Plus he’s a brilliant storyteller.
The Highlanders
1:30 pm • This Regina band plays traditional and Celtic fiddle music featuring guitar, bass and fiddle.
West of Mabou
3:15 pm • This Western Canadian band taps into their strong Scottish, Irish, and Cape Breton roots to deliver a unique brand of high-energy, traditional music with a contemporary flare.
The Tilted Kilts
4:15 pm • A high energy, Scottish/Irish and East Coast folk/rock group with an infectious mix of traditional and contemporary Celtic tunes.
Highland Dancing
From the wee bairns to the seasoned premiers, the Highland dancing event showcases the athleticism, musicality and poise of dancers at all levels in their dancing careers. The young and upcoming dancers compete Saturday afternoon in Victoria Park. Watch Traditional dances such as the crowd favourite Sword dance, the Highland Fling and 4-person Reel. One of the largest contests in all of Saskatchewan, this event attracts many dancers from across the Prairies, Ontario and British Columbia.
The Queen City Open Championship gets underway at 8:30 am in the Hotel Saskatchewan Regency Ballroom.
The Pre-Premier Open Competition starts at 1:30 pm in Victoria Park.
Scottish Heavy Athletics
The festival is proud to host the Scottish Open/Amateur Athletics competition. The heavy events are well known staples of Highland games around the world. They are the precursor to modern strongman competitions and two Olympic track and field events (shot put and hammer throw). These feats of strength and athletic ability are rich in tradition and truly are the original extreme games!
Order of Events
- Braemar Stone
- Light hammer throw
- Heavy weight for distance
- Open stone
- Heavy hammer throw
- Tossing the Caber
- Light weight for distance
- Weight for height (or Weight over bar)
- Sheaf Toss
Ceilidh with Fred Morrison
An evening of music, impromptu performances and fun, featuring legendary piper Fred Morrison, master of the Highland bagpipes, low whistle and once-rare uilleann pipes.
It all takes place at The Exchange (2431 8th Ave) starting at 7:30 pm. A cash bar is available.
Celtic Market
Victoria Park, starting at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday.
Browse the merchant tables at the vendors market, where you’ll find unique Scottish items and gifts from across the Prairies and Ontario.