Performers take part in the 2024 Scotland County Highland Games at the John Blue House grounds in Laurinburg. This year’s games return Saturday with athletic contests, piping, dancing and more.
File photo | The Laurinburg Exchange
LAURINBURG — The Scotland County Highland Games are gearing up for this weekend.
Kicking off the weekend of events is the third Friday Night Fling in downtown Laurinburg. The fling will be in McDuffie Square beginning at 5:30 p.m.
“The Friday Night Fling is going to be a big event,” said Chairman Bill Caudill. “We’re hoping folks that may not have ever been to the games before, or folks that come out for the Friday Live After Five events, will come out to that and get a taste of what they’re going to see on Saturday. If they like what they see, we hope they come out for the full day.”
The event will feature performances by the Sean Heely Celtic Band and Colin Grant-Adams, food trucks, a calling of the clans and more.
On Saturday, the gates open at 8 a.m. at the grounds of the John Blue House. The athletic events start at 8:30 a.m. and piping begins at 9 a.m., with the welcome ceremony starting at noon. A full list of the day’s events can be found on the Highland Games website.
Caudill added that ticket sales surpassed last year’s numbers a month ago.
“That’s a good indicator that there’s going to be a lot of people out there Saturday,” Caudill said. “We were pretty excited about getting to that mark that early. So, we just want everybody to come out and enjoy a great day with us.”
Beyond the ticket sales, dozens of athletes, dancers and pipers will be at the festival on Saturday.
“Some of our numbers here include 55 athletes competing,” Caudill said. “There’s going to be 112 solo piping and drumming competitors. There are going to be 24 pipe band performances, and we’ve got about 70 Highland dancers so far. We’ve got 46 clan societies and organizations that are going to be with us. We’ve got competitors coming from as far away as Texas and Florida. So we are in good shape heading into a good weekend.”
Tickets can be purchased in advance online at carolina-highlandgames.com or for a slightly higher price at the gate on Saturday. Children under 5 can enter free.