NH Highland Games & Festival 2026

NH Highland Games & Festival 2026 will take place September 18–20 at Loon Mountain Resort in Lincoln, New Hampshire, bringing three days of Scottish heavy athletics, pipe bands, Highland dance, live Celtic music, sheep dog trials, clan heritage, living history and hands-on cultural activities to the White Mountains. The 51st annual gathering is one of the largest and most varied Highland Games in North America.

The festival combines competitive sport with music, dance and Scottish cultural traditions. Visitors can move between the athletic field, performance stages, Clan Village, living-history displays, seminars, children’s activities and Vendor Village throughout the weekend. Daytime admission covers the principal competitions, entertainment venues, seminars, youth programming, Try It classes and Scottish vendors.

For more events taking place during the same month, see MedievalAgenda’s September 2026 medieval and Renaissance festival calendar. The event also belongs naturally among the site’s Celtic festivals because Scottish music, dance, athletics and heritage form the core of the program.

⚔️ The Caledonian Clash and Highland Athletics

One of the main competitive attractions is The Caledonian Clash, a two-day team competition held on Saturday and Sunday. Five teams, each made up of seven athletes and co-captained by a professional man and professional woman, compete across seven traditional Highland disciplines.

The events are:

• Braemar Stone
• Open Stone
• Heavy Weight for Distance
• Light Weight for Distance
• Weight Over Bar
• Sheaf Toss
• Caber Toss

The five teams represent Scottish regions or traditions: Hebridean, Trossachs, Clyde, Reiver and Argylls. Spectators can choose a team to support as athletes compete for the Caledonian Cup.

Competitive piping and drumming are another major element of the weekend. The 2026 program includes professional and amateur piping, snare, bass and tenor drumming, drum major competition, pipe-band contests in Grades 1–5, plus pipe-corps quartet and drum-corps events.

🎶 Scottish and Celtic Music

The music program ranges from pipes and drums to contemporary Celtic and Gaelic-influenced performers. Pipe bands also make appearances around the grounds, creating impromptu performances between scheduled competitions and concerts.

2026 musical performers include:

• Albannach
• Gleadhraich
• The Rollin Drones
• Rebel Collective
• Cantrip
• Cassie and Maggie
• Cynthia MacLeod and Gordon Belsher
• Carroll Sisters
• Dashing Rock

Saturday continues after the daytime festival with a separate evening concert featuring Albannach and The Rollin Drones in the Main Concert Tent.

🐑 Sheep Dog Trials

Friday places working sheep dogs and their handlers on the athletic field. Each dog responds to individual whistle commands while moving sheep through a course of obstacles, with performance judged on speed and efficiency. The winning team is recorded on the Campbell Cup.

🏴 Clan Village and Scottish Heritage

More than 30 clans are typically represented in Clan Village, where visitors can explore family connections, Scottish surnames, genealogy and clan history. Representatives share information about their respective families and their place in Scottish heritage.

The cultural program extends into Scottish Living History, with historical interpreters presenting aspects of Highland life from 1314 to 1746 through period encampments and demonstrations.

An ecumenical worship service is scheduled for Sunday and traditionally includes the Blessing of the Bairns, Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans and Flowers of the Forest, combining family, clan and remembrance traditions.

🥁 Try It Classes and Hands-On Activities

Free Try It classes allow visitors to take a more active role in Scottish culture. Activities can include stone lifting, mas-wrestling, Gaelic language instruction, tenor drumming and introductory bagpipe experiences.

Younger visitors have their own Bairns & Weans area, with Scottish-themed crafts, mini-golf, curling and haggis hurling-style cornhole. Children from around age five through pre-teen years can also take part in the Passport Program, collecting stamps while visiting different areas of the Games.

🛍 Vendor Village and Scottish Food

Vendor Village provides a large shopping area devoted to Scottish and Celtic merchandise. Typical offerings include tartan goods, kilts, piping supplies, Scottish specialty products, apparel and gifts. The festival also includes Scottish food and drink alongside its cultural programming.

A standing stone installed at the Games in 2012 has become a recognizable gathering and photography point within the festival grounds.

🎟 Special Events Schedule

Several tastings, concerts, dinners and evening programs require tickets separate from regular daytime admission.

Friday, September 18

• 11:00 AM: Whisky & Spirits Tasting Tent — Octagon Lodge
• 12:00 PM: Whisky Master Class with Simon Brooking — Hancock Room, Mountain Club on Loon
• 1:00 PM: Beer Tasting — Children’s Center
• 2:00 PM: Whisky Master Class with Simon Brooking — Hancock Room
• 2:00 PM: Whisky & Spirits Tasting Tent — Octagon Lodge
• 3:00 PM: Beer Tasting — Children’s Center
• 6:30 PM: Scottish Spirits & Stories
• 7:00 PM: Cracking Ceilidh — Mountain Club on Loon
• 8:00 PM: Scottish Spirits & Stories

Saturday, September 19

• 11:00 AM: Whisky & Spirits Tasting Tent — Octagon Lodge
• 12:00 PM: Whisky Master Class with Simon Brooking — Hancock Room
• 2:00 PM: Whisky Master Class with Simon Brooking — Hancock Room
• 2:00 PM: Whisky & Spirits Tasting Tent — Octagon Lodge
• 5:30 PM: Highland Brews and Bites — Woodstock Station & Brewery
• 7:00 PM: Cape Breton Dinner & Concert — Indian Head Resort
• 7:30 PM: Saturday Night Concert with Albannach and The Rollin Drones — Main Concert Tent
• 8:00 PM: Harp Concert — Kinsman Room, Mountain Club on Loon
• 8:30 PM: Cape Breton Concert-only admission — Indian Head Resort

Sunday, September 20

• 11:00 AM: Scotch Ale Competition — Octagon Lodge
• 1:30 PM: Scotch Ale Competition — Octagon Lodge

🎟 Special Event Prices

• Whisky Master Class: $40 per session
• Scottish Spirits & Stories: $35 per session
• Whisky & Spirits Tasting Tent: $32 per session
• Beer Tasting: $35 per session
• Cracking Ceilidh: $45
• Cape Breton Dinner & Concert: $72
• Cape Breton Concert only: $30
• Saturday Night Concert: $45
• Harp Concert: $20
• Highland Brews and Bites: $65
• Scotch Ale Competition: $30
• Children age 5 and under: Free with an accompanying adult admission

Whisky, beer and other alcohol-focused tastings are restricted to guests 21 and older. Events taking place inside the daytime festival grounds generally also require a valid gate admission ticket. Tickets are non-refundable.

Buy NH Highland Games & Festival tickets

🏰 Loon Mountain Resort

Loon Mountain Resort places the festival in the White Mountains at the start of New England’s fall foliage season. The mountain setting allows the athletic fields, performance areas and festival facilities to operate within the same resort complex, while some evening activities extend to other venues in Lincoln and nearby North Woodstock.

📍 Lincoln, New Hampshire

Lincoln is a White Mountains community in Grafton County with a population of 1,631 at the 2020 census. The town was granted in 1764 and settled in the late 18th century. Logging, sawmills and later paper production played a major role in its development, helped by the forests and water power of the Pemigewasset River system. Tourism later became increasingly important as rail connections brought visitors into the mountains.

Today, Lincoln is closely associated with White Mountain recreation, Loon Mountain, Franconia Notch and the Kancamagus Highway, making it one of northern New Hampshire’s principal tourism communities.

🚗 Getting to Lincoln

By car: Interstate 93 is the principal north-south route into Lincoln. The festival address for navigation is 60 Loon Mountain Road, Lincoln, NH 03251.

By bus: Concord Coach Lines serves Lincoln and connects the town with Concord, Boston South Station and Boston Logan International Airport. The Lincoln stop is at 36 Main Street.

By air: The two principal airports recommended for festival travelers are Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and Boston Logan International Airport.

By train: Travelers incorporating rail into their journey can continue to Lincoln by regional bus or rental car from a larger transportation hub such as Boston.

📏 Approximate Driving Distances from Lincoln

Major New Hampshire cities:

• Concord: 64 mi
• Manchester: 81 mi
• Rochester: about 84 mi
• Nashua: 98 mi
• Dover: about 101 mi
• Portsmouth: about 110 mi

Major U.S. cities:

• Boston, Massachusetts: about 130 mi
• New York City, New York: about 330 mi
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: about 430 mi
• Washington, D.C.: about 560 mi
• Chicago, Illinois: about 1,050 mi
• Los Angeles, California: about 3,000 mi

Distances are approximate road mileage and can vary with the selected route. Confirmed examples include approximately 64 miles to Concord, 81 miles to Manchester and 98 miles to Nashua.

🅿️ Parking and Visitor Information

General daytime visitors should follow event signs to designated off-site parking areas in Lincoln and use the festival shuttle buses to Loon Mountain Resort. Accessible parking is also off-site, with designated accessible shuttles. On-site daytime parking is restricted to visitors holding the appropriate pre-printed parking passes.

Evening-event parking is free at the relevant venues, but daytime shuttle buses do not operate for evening programs. Motorcycles must use designated parking areas rather than the Loon Mountain entrance.

Important policies:

• Pets are not permitted; service animals are allowed.
• Personal alcoholic beverages may not be brought onto the grounds.
• Weapons and firearms are prohibited.
• Camping is not permitted at Loon Mountain Resort during the Games.
• Food and beverage purchases are cashless and require a credit card; other sales may accept cash or cards.