Cowal Highland Gathering
| Cowal Highland Gathering | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genre | Highland Gathering |
| Dates | Final weekend in August annually |
| Location(s) | Dunoon, Cowal, Argyll and Bute |
| Coordinates | 55°57′32″N 4°55′26″W / 55.959°N 4.924°W |
| Country | Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Years active | 1894–present |
| Website | |
| CowalGathering.co.uk | |
The Cowal Highland Gathering (also known as the Cowal Games) is an annual Highland games event held in the Scottish town of Dunoon, on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, over the final weekend in August.
The first Cowal Games was held in Dunoon in 1894, and attracted fewer than 2,000 spectators. By 1901, attendances reached 5,000, and the first overseas competitor, an American athlete, took part.
1906 saw the introduction of a pipe band competition. In 1929, the first approaches from Scottish societies overseas were received, and this has continued as expatriates the world over have turned to Dunoon for advice and practical assistance in setting up their own Gatherings.
After a break during the years of World War II, the first post-war Gathering, in 1946, attracted attendances of 28,000. However, the record attendance, to date at least, was in 1950 when 30,000 visitors attended,. one of whom was then-Prime Minister Clement Attlee.
In 2000, changes to the Highland dancing format resulted in the Friday becoming a high-profile day, with the top dancers out to qualify for Saturday's finals. The Solo Bagpipe competition introduced a graded system. Shinty was reintroduced, attracting high-calibre competitions.
2003 saw Cowal extended to a three-day event with the introduction of the Scottish National Highland Dancing Championships and the five-kilometre Cowal Run.
The 2007 event saw controversy when it was announced that the committee had decided to abandon the track, athletic and shinty competitions. Other changes made in 2007 were the introduction of a Most Entertaining Band competition and the mace-over-the-bar competition.
In 2009 a children's entertainment tent was added to the attractions as was an upgraded food court featuring "Food from Argyll" a collection of local producers who bring local produce to the event.
Nowadays, the Cowal Games attracts more than 3,500 competitors, with many coming from overseas countries, including Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Dunoon regularly welcomes around 15,000 to 20,000 visitors for the Games, doubling the town's population for the weekend.
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Wikipedia