Highland Festivities
Pipers will be piping, drummers will be drumming. The 18th annual San Diego Scottish Highland Games and Gathering of Clans will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Santa Fe Park in San Marcos.
The opening ceremony with massed bands and a parade of clans begins at 12:15 p.m. Adding to the pageantry will be the gathering of family clans beneath individual tents decked with flags and banners.
More than 80 Scottish dancers from across the country will compete in Highland dancing. Among the bagpipe bands will be San Diego’s Cameron Highlanders and the House of Scotland.
Athletic events will include the traditional tossing of the caber, a wooden pole about 19 feet long and weighing about 120 pounds. Points are given to the person who most accurately tosses the pole end over end in a contest that dates to the 1200s.
Other activities include sheep-dog herding demonstrations, and concerts by professional singers and musicians. Celtic merchandise, food and drink also will be sold.
General admission is $8, and parking is free. Santa Fe Park is at 1755 La Costa Meadows, at Rancho Santa Fe Road in San Marcos.
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