New Brunswick Highland Games Festival marks 41 years

The 41st rendition of the New Brunswick Highland Games Festival wrapped up Sunday at Fredericton’s historic Government House.

The festival was held on the government house grounds in Fredericton. (CTV/Avery MacRae)

Beginning Friday night, the bulk of the festivities took place over Saturday and Sunday. With a tagline of “be a Scot for the weekend” the festival welcomed everyone out for a weekend of music and competition.

There were two equally important halfs of the festival prominently featured throughout the weekend. The first was the games itself, including piping, drumming, Highland dancing, and traditional athletic competitions. The other was the Scottish Festival, putting an emphasis on entertainment clans and workshops to further enhance residents' knowledge on the culture and history.

“The Fredericton capital region is such a supportive city for culture like this,” says festival chair Devin Patterson. “The gates have been busy, people are happy, lots of smiles, so it’s all been great.”

Competitors travelled from across the Maritimes, and even as far as Ontario for the event. Drum Major for the Ottawa Caledonian Pipes and Drums Darryl Lim says it’s the group's first time at this festival, and only second time competing on the East Coast.

On Saturday, his group won the band competition, and had 10 of his members win a total of 12 solo awards. While the travel is long, Lim says the competition is a great opportunity to meet other pipe bands.

The Saint John Caledonian Pipe Band practices ahead of competing. (CTV/Avery MacRae)

“We're a very family-oriented band,” says Lim. “It's an opportunity to do a band trip, an away trip together to foster the camaraderie in the band.”

He says the Highland Games on the East Coast tend to be more relaxed in a positive way compared to competitions in Ontario. He jokes outside of getting to dress in a kilt, his favourite part about these events is getting to engage with the community and see old friends who have moved on to play in other bands.

He adds the support from Fredericton has been memorable.

“(Saturday) when we marched off the field we felt very blessed,” says Lim. “We felt upbeat that there were other winning bands that stood by the sidelines and applauded wildly as we came by. You feel that everyone supports your being or doing better.”

Drew Garvie competed in the open class for the heavy events, including his personal best the hammer toss, and echoes Lim’s sentiments on the unrivaled comradery.

“We're here for each other and nobody's here for themselves,” says Garvie. “We help each other out in every way possible. We come in, we compete against each other, but we support each other in many different ways and that's probably the best thing about it.”

An athlete tries her luck in one of the women’s heavy athletic events. (CTV/Avery MacRae)

He believes the New Brunswick rendition of the Highland Games is among the best ones he was competed in. A big part of that is the support from local fans.

“It’s just number one,” Garvie says on the fan support in Fredericton. “They're always here, full support, full stands yelling and they’re just amazing.”

The festival drew thousands into the grounds over the course of the weekend from both in town and out of town.

For Paul Little of New Hampshire, it was his first time at the New Brunswick Highland Games Festival. He was amazed by the talent he witnessed throughout the weekend.

“I don't think I could do any of that stuff,” Little laughs. “It's really my first (Highland Games) so it's been great and I love it.”

“I like watching the dancing,” says Mandy Reid and Connor Fraser while taking in some of the Highland dance competition. “You can always hear pipes and drums going on in the background. Sometimes I try to sneak away to see the heavyweights going here and there.”

“It just it brings the whole community together keeping the heritage alive.”

Highland dancing was among the most watched events of the weekend. (CTV/Avery MacRae)

Patterson says the festival is one of Fredericton’s signature summer events, and getting to see the different groups come together each year is a treat.

Having competed in these events in the past, Patterson admits he does miss the competition a bit. Having been in the competitor’s shoes before, he is proud to help put on a successful festival with the help from numerous volunteers.

“I'm biased, but I've always enjoyed this place,” says Patterson. “It's a really special site here at Government House. We're so lucky to have her honour Lieutenant Governor allow us to use these grounds year after year. It's really special to see all the people in Fredericton that enjoy this festival to come back year after year.”

Patterson says he is already looking forward to the 42nd rendition of the games in 2025.

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