What A Games It Was!
It was a really great Games, it really, really was. Each year, the Games committee wonders how they can top the previous year and this year, they really did it. With 61 pipe bands, the highest number in over a decade, the 1447 pipers and drummers led by World Champion Drum Major Emma Barr in the massed bands performance over-filled the infield and gave a performance of Amazing Grace that brought tremendous applause from the huge crowds surrounding the infield. The 78th Fraser Highlanders from Milton, Ontario marched away again this year as the Grade One winners of the North American Pipe Band Championships™. Ulster Scottish Pipe Band from Philadelphia, PA, was first in Grade Two, while the Commonwealth Pipes and Drums of Galway/Melrose, Maine took the honours in Grade Three. Glengarry’s own pipe band came 4th in Grade Four out of seventeen bands, while the Grade Five band came eighth. The Glengarry Juvenile Pipe Band gave a good showing coming in second in their competition.
On Friday in the Women’s Masters heavy events, two Canadian records were set. Alisha Thompson from Calgary, Alberta set a new record in the 21 lbs Weight for Distance when she threw for 4’7” and Josée Morneau of Winnipeg, Manitoba tossed the 10 lbs Sheaf for twenty-three feet. Killlarney, Manitoba’s Stephanie Outhwaite took first in the event. In the Men’s Masters heavy events, Will Barron of Belgrade, Maine, easily topped the field of veteran athletes. In the Professional women’s Alexis Johnson from Calgary, Alberta easily won the competition while in the Men’s competition on Saturday, Lorne Colthart of Ottawa took home all the hardware.
In highland dancing, there was a record number of highland dancers with 174 dancers. The competitions were capped off with a well-received Parade of Champions on the infield on Saturday afternoon. Every event, from Scottish fiddling to the tug of war to the whisky tasting and more, saw packed and appreciative crowds.
All competition results can be found on the Games website under Competitions/Results.
At Saturday’s Official Ceremonies, crowd favorite Glengarry’s own Kelli Trottier, the Guest of Honour, provided a Games first singing her prize-winning entry, Mc or Mac, from the Games 75th anniversary song contest. Before her speech, the Clan parade filled the infield track as the clans proudly paraded their tartans to the cheers of the thousands ringing the field.
The weather cooperated fully with only a few drops of rain early Saturday morning. The trees planted a decade ago have now filled out to provide a wall of shade around the site and the thousands of visitors took full advantage of them in the summer heat. The walkways around the infield were full of people seeking out their clan t-shirt or the smashed burger or haggis on a bun. The entertainment centres were full of happy Games goers listening to the Glengarry’s best. The tent crowd gave a rousing welcome as Fridge Full of Empties took to the stage on Saturday. Their lead singer, Paul Villeneuve, set a personal first at the Games as he performed O Canada, The Star Spangled Banner and Flower of Scotland at the Official Ceremonies to rousing applause. The Wee Bairns area had over a thousand excited and engaged little ones who spent hours enthralled with all kinds of activities and large size Plinko and Legos plus the goats, sheep and the miniature cow in the petting zoo. The parking lots were packed with vehicles from across North America with visitors who made the trek to celebrate their Scottish heritage or to see just what it was all about.
With the site humming all weekend, the 2026 Games delivered on every promise: exciting competitions, rich heritage and pageantry, terrific music, and a celebration to match no other-— the kind that sends people home already planning their return.
To sum it up, in the words of the 2026 Guest of Honour, Kelli Trottier,
“Every athlete, competitor and musician here today, has risen to the top of their game, through hard work and commitment. They have all earned their way to the very best Highland Games. Our Scottish Ancestors would be beaming with pride to see their traditions alive and thriving here today, and welcoming people worldwide.”
For more stories and photos, check out the Games Facebook page.