Grandfather Mountain Highland Games

A Highland Games event has been held each year since 1956 at Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina. Celebrating the history and culture of Scots in North Carolina, it is among the first and largest modern Highland Games established in the United States. Competitions and displays take place in Scottish styles of piping, drumming, costume, dance, and traditional sports.

The Scottish people have a long and rich history in the state of North Carolina. After the battle of Culloden in 1746, highland clearances left many Scottish clans with no home. During the time after the clearances, North Carolina became one of the most popular destinations. The local government in North Carolina urged Highland Scots to come to North Carolina by offering them land and tax exemptions. At first, many groups kept to the eastern shores of North Carolina, but as populations in the states rose, many went west in search of farm land and more space. During the revolutionary war, Scottish immigrants fought on both sides. The most famous Scottish resident of North Carolina was Flora MacDonald, who immigrated to the US after the battle of Culloden and lived in Harnett County from 1774 to 1778. After the war, many Scottish Loyalists left the states to go back to Scotland and others went on to Nova Scotia, Canada. However, a large group of Scots remained in North Carolina.

The Scots kept their highland culture alive in the United States, speaking Scottish Gaelic among their families and in church. The Scots were unable to practice their cultural heritage in Scotland after Culloden, as new laws outlawed the use of bagpipes, tartans, weapons and Gaelic. In response, the Scots in America sought to keep their traditions alive. Highland gatherings were a part of the lives of every Scot in North Carolina. At the very beginning they were used as a time to trade with others, baptize their children, get married and pass along information. The language and culture remained an active part of their lives in the US until after the Civil War, when much of the culture became assimilated into the developing American culture. However, the loss of the Scottish culture in North Carolina did not go unnoticed. In 1956 the highland games returned to North Carolina as a modern event.

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