the mommy avenger

We told you about the Utah Scottish Festival & Highland games last week. Well, it’s here and we got to go spend the day exploring our Scottish heritage at the Utah State Fairgrounds. This three day long festival is taking place now, with the last day rounding out the festival being tomorrow. I’m guessing you were there, too, because it was a great turnout!

I had never been to this festival in Utah before, but I am so glad that I went! To really get into the spirit of things, my nephew decided to try his hand at the Highland games and registered for competition. He had never done it before and we had never seen the events before, so we gathered our family and went to the festival to root him on.

The Highland games is a sporting event unlike any other you’ve experienced before. Whether you know someone in the competitions or not, they are fascinating to watch. There are so many new events and rules to learn, but it is extremely impressive to be a spectator at. My nephew enrolled in the open group for competition all day Saturday and we had so much fun as a family cheering him on. While he had just a few practice runs today, he had not gotten to try his hand at the events before. He did amazingly well! He actually won first place in the caber toss! We were blown away and so excited for him.

As we watched the events and different categories of competitors, we learned that some of the participants have been competing for twenty years or more! I can see how they would want to return year after year because participating looked like so much fun. I know our family, for one, will definitely be back next year and a few of us enrolling in competition. Both men and women can compete, so there are lots of opportunities to get in on the festivities.

You don’t have to be a participant in the events to thoroughly enjoy your time at the Festival, though. The youngest of our crew got to experience the games on a smaller scale and had a blast. You can learn about your clan, enjoy great food and drinks, entertainment, music and more throughout the entire three day event. It was a fantastic way to spend a beautiful summer day with the entire family. We can’t wait to come back next year!

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Enjoy 3 days full of Scottish-themed fun watching bagpiping competitions, highland athletics competitions, and highland dancing competitions, with a chance to explore Scottish heritage though clan tents and vendors. Plus performances from The Wicked Tinkers, Men of Worth, The Fiddle Preacher and the Dame of Drones. 

This year’s piping competitions feature competitions for bands and soloists from across the Western United States competing in grades 1-5. 

Fans of heavy athletics will be be treated to watching the National Sheaf Toss Competition at the event, featuring some of the top competing athletes in the United States. Additionally, there will be competitions in fan favorites such as the caber toss, hammer throw, braemar stone, and more. 

Highland dancing competitions will have a variety of competitors of many ages and skill levels competing in one of the oldest forms of folk dance. A variety of dances will be highlighted, including popular favorites the sword dance, seann triubhas, and highland fling.

In between catching competitions, learn more about Scottish clans and family heritage at one of the clan booths throughout the festival grounds, peruse Celtic and Scottish wares from our vendors, watch Irish dance performances, music performances or catch one of the headliners on the main stage. 

To purchase your tickets or to find out more information, please visit https://www.utahscots.org/