Scotland County Highland Games
- Dates
- Oct 2 to 4, 2026
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- John Blue House property
- Price
- $22 to $25
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Sep 1, 2026
Scotland County Highland Games returns to John Blue House property, Laurinburg, NC, Oct 2 to 4, 2026. Froligo tracks current ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.
The experience
What's special
The Scotland County Highland Games is a Scottish festival held the first weekend of October at the historic John Blue House property in Laurinburg, North Carolina, in a region that was once the largest settlement of Highland Scots in North America. Founded in 2008, the Games feature Scottish heavy athletics and the caber toss, EUSPBA-sanctioned piping and drumming, Highland dance, clan and society tents with a parade of tartans, sheep herding, a sell-out whisky tasting and a Sunday Kirkin' of the Tartans
What people love
Attendees describe the Scotland County Games as a fun weekend that leans heavily into the music, with live band performances and bagpipe competitions alongside the heavy athletics, and note it is more a family and heritage day than a big drinking event. The Friday whisky seminar and tasting is a perennial favorite that sells out every year
Last time around
Recent editions have followed the same first-weekend-of-October pattern at the John Blue House property, with Scottish and Celtic entertainers, heavy athletics, EUSPBA piping and drumming, Highland dance, a parade of tartans and the Sunday Kirkin' of the Tartans. The 2026 weekend is set for October 2 to 4, with the main Games on Saturday, October 3
The games
Heavy athletics
The Games run Scottish heavy athletics, including the tossing of the caber, with bleacher seating around the field and amateur classes open to new throwers
Pipe bands & Highland dance
Pipe band competition and individual piping and drumming are sanctioned by the EUSPBA Southern Branch, alongside a Highland dance competition
Clans & genealogy
Clan and society tents gather at the Games, with a parade of tartans and a Sunday Kirkin' of the Tartans worship service at the historic Old Laurel Presbyterian Church
Taking part
The weekend includes a popular Friday Whisky Seminar and Tasting that sells out each year, sheep herding, kids' games, and a Living History Working Camp; a free Friday Highland Fling runs in downtown Laurinburg
See it before you go
A look at the Highland Games in general, not this specific event.
Getting there
How do I get to Scotland County Highland Games?
By train
No direct passenger rail to the venue was found. Use the airport transfers or shuttle options above.
By bus
No scheduled intercity bus or public transit route to the venue was found. Use the airport transfers or shuttle options above.
🅿 Parking
On site parking available. Cost Free. General public parking is free at the James L. Morgan Recreation Complex, with a trolley to the Games site; clan, society and sponsor parking is at the Rural Heritage Center museum area
🚙 Car hire
Where
Exact location not mapped yet.
Venue
John Blue House property
Pricing
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