The Colorado Scottish Festival Returns to Citizen’s Park in Edgewater

The Colorado Scottish Festival returns to celebrate the St. Andrew Society’s 58th year of bringing Scotland to your own backyard with this special summer event on Saturday & Sunday, August 6-7 from 9 am to 9 pm on Saturday and 9 am to 5 pm on Sunday at Citizen’s Park in Edgewater.

Presented by the St. Andrew Society of Colorado, the festival is a family-oriented, family-friendly event. Although the flavor is Scottish, the festival offers something for all cultures and every age group. This event provides an excellent opportunity to explore several interesting aspects of Scottish culture, traditions, and history while nourishing the community with a variety of experiences.

Competitions will be held in Scottish athletics, piping, and drumming, as well as Highland dance. There will also be demonstrations of traditional Irish Step Dancing. Watch athletes vie for prizes, listen to pipers play, and see dancers jigging to the enjoyment of everyone. There will be a special Scottish dance performance and lecture from guest, Beret Dernbach, the 2019 World Junior Highland Dance Champion. The festival will also feature Clan Tents, where you’ll find plaid-clad docents eager to share their respective histories. They will help attendees piece together the twigs and branches of a family tree, trace lineages back to ancient Scottish roots and locate your clan’s unique tartan.

There will be vendors selling all manner of Scottish and Celtic merchandise and crafts. In addition to food vendors, savor John Shields’ famous haggis prepared by Chef Jeremy, grab yourself a “belly washer” at the beer tent, or for a bit of great craic, sample a wee dram at one of our Whisky Tastings. Our very popular Whisky Tastings provide participants the opportunity to explore and appreciate a variety of whisky flavors. Our sponsor for the tastings is Edrington Brands, the home of exceptional spirits. The instructions are simple: “See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip, Savor, Repeat”. And as you go through the progression, our whisky concierge and tasting leader (or is that “litre”?), Buz Dabkowski, will instruct you on how to taste, judge flavor profiles, and identify aromas and gain a better understanding of “the water of life”. Attendees can reserve a spot online or at the whisky tent on the event field.

Speaking of whisky, there will also be an online auction for a bottle of “Clan Fraser Reserve” whisky from Border’s Distillery in Hawick, Scotland. The bottle is signed by the author of the Outlander books and tv series, Diana Gabaldon. The bottle, donated by Clarke Simm, is accompanied by a photo of Diana signing her autograph.

Observe Highland life from the time of William Wallace through the Jacobite uprising in 1745 through the village setting of the Renaissance Scots Living History Association. The RenScots have been delighting Celtic festival guests with their re-enactments for 22 years. Besides sharing Scottish history, you’ll find demonstrations on heritage crafts such as weaving, leather working, basket-making, blacksmithing, traditional culinary dishes, and traditional Celtic folk music. And for a little more excitement, check out the fighting element of the RenScots, the Wolves of Dunvegan, a skilled display of ancient combat and swordsmanship. They’ll educate the public on their arsenal of broadswords, claymores, and other assorted, historic weaponry (renscots.org).

Events of the first day will wrap up with a Highland Rock & Roll concert Saturday night featuring Colorado’s own, Angus Mohr (7-9 pm, included with admission). Angus Mohr revitalizes traditional Celtic music’s brogue with an American blues accent while rejuvenating rock ’n roll’s broad spectrum with bagpipes and pennywhistles. But their set list is also peppered with songs penned by Dylan, Pink Floyd, Johnny Cash, and The Ramones. Angus Mohr crosses musical boundaries to pull in a diverse audience where fans steeped in blue-collar classic rock, hippies old and young, and grown-up metal heads dance to timeless music about timeless ideas (angusmohr.com).

Besides the concert, there will be plenty of traditional Scottish and Irish folk music provided by local folk musicians such as Skean Dubh, Down the Back Lane, Wolf Loescher, Gobs O’Phun, and Avourneen. Other attractions include Dogs of the British Isles, and the Thistle Club, and of course, there are plenty of children’s activities and field events to keep your wee bairns excited and engaged. And don’t forget to haste ye back on Sunday morning for the Kirkin’ of the Tartan, and afterward car enthusiasts can check out a display of British cars.

As a non-profit organization, volunteers are crucial to the success of the Festival. Without this wonderful group of people, it just wouldn’t happen. If you would like to volunteer your time on the committee or at the festival, let your interests be known and the appropriate spots will be found that best fit you. Visit the website and click on the “Volunteer” button or email volunteer@scottishgames.org.

Join the Colorado Scottish Festival for a fun-filled weekend and a bonnie good time for the entire family.

Admission Fees:

Tickets are available at the gate or through the website.

Day Pass:

$15 Adult

$10 Kids 5-12, Edgewater Adult, Seniors (55+), Military, First Responders

Weekend Pass:

$25 Adult

$15 Kids 5-12, Edgewater Adult, Seniors (55+), Military, First Responders

Edgewater kids with adults and children 4 & under – free. For more information, visit scottishgames.org.