Geelong Highland Gathering

NEWS FLASH: The 2012 Geelong Highland Gathering runs over 2 Days- Saturday the 17th will see a Free day of Solo Piping, Drumming and Mini Band Competition, while  Sunday the 18th of March will see the traditional Highland Gathering

Solo Piping, Drumming & Mini Band Competition

For over 150 years the annual Geelong Highland Gathering has been a must see on the Geelong events calendar. Dating back to 1857 the gathering has brought people from United Kingdom stock together to celebrate their culture and diversity in a wonderful display of colour, music, dance and sportsmanship.

Originally called the Scottish or Highland Games the event was held on New Year’s Day in an area east of Bellarine Street in the city, was long held on the beautiful Queens Park but in 2010 the festival moved to the Fyansford Common beside the historic Fyansford Hotel. This year the festival is on the move again, to The Royal Geelong Showgrounds in East Geelong.

The highland gathering today is organised by the Geelong Highland Gathering Association which is a voluntary, incorporated, not for profit, cultural organisation and is one of the most popular, and comprehensive displays of Scottish culture, livestock, merchandise and musical folklore in Australia and known for attracting anything up to 6000 people annually. It is one of Australia’s biggest and most diverse events celebrating the Scottish and Celtic cultures.

Some of the highlights of the event include the Australian Haggis Hurling Championships – this event is a real winner with the large crowd and so much fun. Wood chopping is another great spectator sport where big burly men chop timber as if it was butter. There are also some very talented Scottish folk bands and singers and of course the amazing highland dancing all offering enjoyable entertainment throughout the day.

The highlight of the day is the incredible massed pipe bands marching on the field with their bag pipes and drums. It is a multi-sensory thrill, the bagpipes send shivers down your spine while your eyes and ears are amazed at the spectacle.

For animal lovers the Highland Gathering offers a chance to get up close to some of the animals Scotland is famous for. Beautiful woolly highland and Galloway cattle, plenty of Shetland ponies and of course the cute Scottish terrier dogs and puppies- they are just so cute.

A day celebrating everything Scottish isn’t complete without trying some of the sometimes interesting but very tasty Scottish delicacies. Why not try some Haggis- well maybe not, there’s plenty of other tasty foods like tasty Scottish sausages, baked goods and who can resist the beautiful shortbreads and scones with whipped cream and jam- just delicious.

The Geelong Highland Gathering is also a favourite for the young, there’s plenty of fun for them with jumping castles, face painting, animals and much, much more.

Make sure you pack your sporran with plenty of pocket money too as there are plenty of interesting Scottish Stalls selling everything from hand crafts to music and plenty of tartan goods.

Pack your picnic, put on your best tartan and head to the Geelong Showgrounds for one of Geelong’s premier events, we are sure you will love it and be back the next year with all your friends.

The 2012 festival will take place on the 18th of March and there will be a special free day on the 17th both at the Geelong Showgrounds in East Geelong, For more details on the Geelong Highland Gathering visit the Intown Events Calendar.

Or www.geelonghighlandgathering.org.au