Why You Should Spend The Weekend with Us at the Colorado Highland Games
Updated: Sep 2
Whenever I write a post I search my memory for that feeling I get when I recall an event. With the Colorado Highland Games, there's one feeling/experience I always enjoy, it’s the combination of the distinct sights and sounds that gets me every time. Picture this, it's early on a Saturday morning the grass is emerald green and often still wet with the dew, and across the field strewn with tents, pipers are warming up under a perfect blue Colorado sky. That sound and those sights mean one thing, the Colorado Highland Games are here again, and for one weekend each year, a quiet stretch of Douglas County turns into a small corner of Scotland.
This year marks the 62nd year of the Games, hosted by the St. Andrew Society of Colorado. Since 1963, this event has brought Scottish athletics, piping and drumming, Highland dancing competitions, and genuine Celtic culture live to Colorado. I've spent enough weekends attending, both as a spectator and as a volunteer, that this weekend has become one of the fixed points on my calendar. I want to tell you why, and I want to talk you into coming out, even if you've never given a second thought to your family's connection to Scotland, even if you're a "Sassenach" who just loves a good time with great music, sportsmanship, family and food!
A Weekend Working the Clan Tent
Each year I help with our Clan tent. Representing the Clan Murray Association of North
America, and it's one of my favorite ways to spend the weekend. At the Games, our Clan tent sits proudly in the midst of dozens of other Clan tents, the whole area becoming this wonderful, sprawling reunion of strangers who become friends and families who’ve been friends for years.
Sitting between the Music Tent and the Glasgow Stage you’ll find Clan Murray, so if you're wandering between a set of live Celtic music and the next round of competition on the Glasgow Stage, you'll walk right by us, stop in and say howdy! If you're coming with the kids, the clan tents are saddled by the Dogs of the British Isles tents and the Children's Activities tent – and we have stickers and stamps for the kids!
The best thing about participating in a Clan tent are the visitors! People come by all day with many of the same questions. "My grandmother's maiden name was Murray, or Fleming, or Small, is this us?" "I don't know what clan I belong to, where do I even start?" "What's the difference between a clan and a family and a sept, anyway?" We love those questions, because answering them means walking someone through centuries of Scottish history, tartans, mottos and traditions. Some people find us because they've always known they were Murrays and want to meet others. Some have no idea and leave with a name, a history, and sometimes even a tartan they didn't know belonged to them.
What makes this part of the Games special isn't just our tent (although I personally think it’s the best!), it's all of the clan tents. Whatever your last name, whatever your family history, there's a very good chance someone in one of those tents or at the “Tartan Information” tent can help you find your people. And if you've got no known Scottish blood at all, that's fine too. Plenty of folks stop by just to soak in the history and the culture, no bloodline required.
Scottish Athletics Are Something You Have to See in Person
If you've never watched actual Highland athletic competitions, you'e missing out! These are men's and women's events with roots going back centuries, long before anyone called them a "sport" in the modern sense. The caber toss, where competitors flip a tree end over end, the stone put, the Scottish hammer throw, the sheaf toss and many more! Come watch the competition and find out about the history of these unusual sports.
Photos and videos genuinely don't do them justice. There's a difference between reading that someone threw a 56-pound weight over a 15-foot bar and standing at the edge of the field feeling the ground shift when the weight lands. The athletes train for this all year and watching them compete is like watching a piece of living history play out in real time.
This year I'm especially looking forward to seeing Michaela Kovandova of the Czech Republic, (2nd place finisher at the 2026 Women's LWT World Championships!), compete alongside an incredible field of national and international athletes. Having competitors of that caliber on our field is a reminder that this isn't just a local tradition, it's a stop on a genuinely world-class circuit.
Food That Makes the Trip Worth It Alone
I'll be honest, part of why I never miss a Games is the food. I start each day with a Scone and Tea or strong coffee, by lunch I’m searching for my Haggis, neeps, and tatties (with a wee dram!) and dinner’s much the same – ‘cause you can never have too much Haggis! For the first timers, there's a genuinely impressive lineup of vendors serving traditional Scottish dishes and food from across the UK, alongside the usual festival favorites for anyone who wants something familiar. If you've never tried haggis, or you’ve been putting it off because of what you've heard about it, this is the place to finally give it a go. Pair it with a wee dram from the whisky selection and you've got yourself a proper Highland lunch (or dinner, or breakfast!).
Music, Dancing, and the Sound of the Whole Weekend
While Saturday and Sunday kick off with the Parade of British Dogs at 10am, by noon you'll find the Massed Pipes and Drums leading a Parade of Clans around the field, during the day there’ll be historical re-enactors bringing an even older slice of Scottish history to life, non-stop Celtic music right alongside Highland dancers, Irish step dancers, and Morris dancers! Something about hearing a folk band cover a driving Celtic rock anthem while dancers compete nearby that captures the whole spirit of the event: deeply traditional, but very much alive. This year the Bonnie Knees contest runs both Saturday and Sunday at PM and as a former 1st place winner, I’ll be there competing with the best! And, don’t forget, Saturday closes out with a 6pm concert
from Seven Nations – if you haven’t seen Seven Nations live, you owe it to yourself! They’re braw! Sunday morning brings the Kirkin' of the Tartan and a Blessing of the Dogs, followed later by the return of the British Car Show, a rugby match, and if that's not enough, a small herd of Highland coos are on site both days for anyone who wants to meet Scotland's fuzziest export.
Why I Keep Coming Back, and Why You Should Come Too
I've been fortunate to be a volunteer in our Clan tent for many years now enjoying the Clan experience from the view of our tent and just a few years ago I gave volunteering at the event a try (it’s awesome by the way!) and every year I meet someone new who tells me they almost didn't come. They weren't sure it was "their thing” wasn’t sure if the kids or their partner would enjoy it, weren't sure they had any Scottish heritage or they’d heard the worst about Haggis and wondered if it was compulsory eating, and every time, they end up thrilled that they’ve come out, and excited about a culture they’ve not experienced before!
So remember, you don't need a kilt, a clan, or even a drop of Scottish blood to have a great time at the Colorado Highland Games. You need a Saturday or Sunday free, an appetite for good food and great music and sport…and a little curiosity about a cultural experience that's been showing up in Colorado for over sixty years! So come out, watch grown adults throw entire trees for sport, come find out if you're a Murray, a Stewart, a MacDonald, or something else entirely.
Come for the haggis, neeps and tatties (and a wee dram of the water of life) and stay for the pipes! Pet a Highland Coo and live to tell about it! Whatever you do, come out and enjoy a weekend with us!
If you've been on the fence, consider this your hearty come on! And if you want to say hello to someone you know now, I'll be somewhere between the Clan Murray tent and the Thistle Club all weekend, September 26th and 27th, at the Denver Polo Club in Sedalia. Now remember, “No Scotland, No Party!” Slàinte!
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