Dunedin Fl. Highland Games and Festival......2017-04-01

DUNEDIN, FL – Grab your kilt and your caber (if you’re strong enough, that is) and get ready to show your tartan colors with the rest of the area’s clans.
The 51st Annual Dunedin Highland Games & Festival fills an entire day with everything Scottish, from traditional Highland games to music to a 5K run with participants dressed in kilts.
Date and Time
The 2017 Dunedin Highland Games & Festival is scheduled to take place Saturday, April 1 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will also be a few events taking place on Friday, March 31 in conjunction with the festival.
Location
The main event takes place at Highlander Park, 1920 Pinehurst Road in Dunedin.
Parking
Because of the growth of the Dunedin Highland Games & Festival, there is no on-site parking available for attendees. Parking is available for $5 at Dunedin High School, just south of Highlander Park on Pinehurst Road. Faith United Church of Christ and Faith Lutheran Church on Pinehurst Road and North Dunedin Baptist Church, 1595 Michigan Blvd., also have parking available for $5.
The parking locations are in walking distance of the festival grounds, but there will be complimentary shuttle service available starting at 7 a.m. for vendors and volunteers until 9 p.m.
There will also be limited disabled parking available at the Dunedin Community Center, 1920 Pinehurst Road.
Tickets
Advance general admission tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at http://dunedinhighlandgames.com/tickets-on-sale/ or in person at the following locations:
• Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, 301 Main St., Dunedin
• Lothian Kilt Rentals & Bagpipe Supplies, 1570 Main St., Dunedin
• Celtic Shop of Dunedin, 354 Main St., Dunedin.
General admission tickets can be purchased at the gate for $18. VIP tickets, which are only available on the Dunedin Highland Games website, are $60 and include admission, food and drink (beer, wine, cider) and seating in a secured area.
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Pipe Band Parade
The sounds of pipe bags fill the air in Dunedin, announcing the start of the festival every year. This year’s parade begins at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 31. The parade begins at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office on Louden Avenue, then goes north to Main Street, then heads west to Broadway, the south to Scotland Street, then back east to Douglas Avenue, then heads north again, ending at Pioneer Park on Main Street.
Ceilidh in the Park
At the parade’s end, Ceilidh in the Park will take place in Pioneer Park at the corner of Main Street and Douglas Avenue. This free event features traditional and modern Celtic music, including performances from MacGilliossa and Off Kilter. Beer, wine, food and drinks will be available for purchase along with festival merchandise.
Competitions
Various Scottish- and Celtic-themed competitions will take place during the festival, most of which begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 1:
Scottish Heavy Athletics
The Scottish Heavy Athletics will feature 60 men and women competing in seven different categories, including the caber toss, the sheaf toss, the hammer throw, the stone throw and the weight-over bar. And for the second year, the festival will bring back its Dunedin Super Caber for competitors to vie for a big prize.
Solo Piping & Drumming
More than 100 individual musicians will compete against each other under EUSPBA rules.
Highland Dancing Competition
More than 80 young dancers will compete in one of the oldest Scottish traditions.
Highland Trial Run
The 2017 Dunedin Highland Games & Festival offers a 5K run with a twist. The third annual Dunedin 5K Highland Trail Run is designed to make its participants feel like they’re running through the highlands of Scotland, with the sound of bagpipes echoing through the hammock. And as an added bonus, runners are encouraged to wear a kilt during the event.
The Dunedin 5K Highland Trail Run begins Saturday, April 1 at 9 a.m. The event is also designed for the causal jogger and the competitive trail runner alike.
The event begins at the west end of Highlander Park between the city pool and Fire Station 61. The race then moves into Dunedin Hammock Park, a mixed hardwood forest, and then moves through sugar sand, a 100-yard boardwalk and back to Highlander Park to finish.
Registration for the event is $30 through Tuesday, March 28 and $35 on March 31 and April 1 at the packet pick-up or race day. The price includes admission to the Dunedin Highland Games & Festival and a race T-shirt (guaranteed only to pre-registrants). Proceeds from the event benefit the Dunedin Scottish Arts Foundation, which helps promote Dunedin’s Scottish culture and the Scottish music and dance programs.
Packet pick-up is available on March 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Dunedin Scottish Arts Foundation, 1134 Douglas Ave., or on race day starting at 7:30 p.m.
Awards will be given to the first, second and third place male and female winners.
Entertainment
Musical entertainment will be featured in the Beer Tent, with the Drake Irish Dancers from Sarasota performing in between sets and band change-overs. All entertainment will stop during the opening ceremonies at noon and the closing ceremonies at approximately 5:30 p.m.
This year’s scheduled musical acts in the Beer Tent are:
• 1 p.m. – Celtic Conundrum
• 2 p.m. – Off Kilter
• 3 p.m. – MacGilliossa
• 4 p.m. – Off Kilter
• 6 p.m. – Winning pipe band of the day
• 6:30 p.m. – Seven Nations
This year, the festival will feature a Trad Tent, featuring traditional music throughout the day. Other entertainment includes the Craigmalloch Border Collies, the Mass Highland Fling, the Parade of Clans and a children’s Sack Race.