About the Games
This is the 25th anniversay
year of the North Berwick
Highland Games. The first
Games held in 1996 had an
attendance of about 4000
people mostly residents of
North Berwick and the
surrounding towns in East
Lothian.
Today, the Highland Games
continues to attract
considerable support from the
local community but with more
and more visitors coming every
year an attendance of over
15,000 has become the norm.
Visitors have come from
elsewhere in Scotland, from
throughout the United Kingdom
and from all over the world.
Many visitors appreciate not
only the spectacle of the
Highland Games itself, but
also the opportunity to visit
the charming town of North
Berwick situated on the
coast of the Firth of Forth
just 25 miles from the centre
of Edinburgh.
The international visitors
are not confined to spectators
as many of the competitors,
particularly in the Pipe Band
competitions come from abroad.
Last year the visiting pipe
bands included the New Zealand
Police, the City of Blacktown
(Australia), the 78th Fraser
Highlanders (Canada), The
Royal Army of Oman,
Benoni-McTalla (South Africa),
and not forgetting local
support from the North Berwick
Pipe Band and many others.
The Pipe Band competitions
last thoughout the day with
the junior bands competing in
the morning and the senior
bands competing in the Grade 1
Competition in the middle of
the afternoon. The event
includes the Lothian and
Borders Pipe Band
Championships, and during the
day there is a separate
competition for all the Drum
Majors from the different
bands to display their prowess
in Formal Dress, Marching and
Flourish. The Pipe Bands
compete under the auspices of
the Royal Scottish Pipe Band
Association.
Whilst the main arena and its
environs echo to the sounds of
Scottish music, the sports
arena is reserved for more
energetic pursuits. In the
lunch time period, the arena
is handed over to the
Midlothian Dog Training Club
whose members give us an
outstanding display of the
agility and obedience of their
dogs. When the ground is clear
the athletes take over for the
Belhaven Best Heavy Events
Championship. This includes
six separate events including
throwing the 16lb Scot's
Hammer and Tossing the Caber
with the Championship being
awarded to the compititor
gaining the maximum points
combined from all six events.
To see the huge, heavy timber
caber being tossed is perhaps
the most dramatic highlight of
any Highland Games.
Although the Pipe band
competitions command
particular attention during
the day, there are many other
activities taking place. In
the south corner of the ground
you will also hear the sound
of the pipes but this time as
an accompaniment to the
Highland Dancing. On an
elevated platform you will be
able to watch youngsters of
all ages performing the
intricate steps of the Highland
Fling and Sword
dances, whilst the
older dancers complete in the
even more demanding dances of
the Scottish Lilt and
Flora McDonald's Fancy.
At the conclusion of the
competitions, all the pipe
bands parade into the centre
of the arena (just!!) to
salute the Chieftain of the
day and then form up into a
massed band of over 1,000
pipers and drummers. Together
the bands play the traditional
salute to the Chieftain of Highland
Laddie. After the
presentation of trophies and
awards to the winners, the
bands reform and individually
march down through the streets
of North Berwick - winning
bands proudly displaying their
trophies in front of them.
Around the ground there will
be a variety of craft stalls,
side shows and children's
amusements. There will be
extensive refreshment
facilities thoughout the day.
It will be a 'Champion
Scottish Day Out'.