47th Annual Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival

Put on your kilt, bring your family and friends, and visit the mystical lands of Scotland and Ireland … without even leaving the Monterey Peninsula. Due to popular demand, the 47th Annual Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival has returned to its traditional first weekend in August this year. Hundreds of kilted bagpipers and dancers will be back in Monterey entertaining Festival-goers who will enjoy experiencing the fascinating Celtic culture.
The award-winning Scottish Society of the Monterey Peninsula will hold its 47th Annual Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival (www.montereyscotgames.com) on Saturday and Sunday, August 2nd and 3rd, 2014, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The festival will take place at the beautiful and spacious Monterey County Fair & Event Center located at 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey, CA, 93940.
This very popular Celtic celebration brings the music, dance, food and athletic events of Scotland and Ireland to Monterey County. Featuring fun activities for the whole family, the Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival offers a variety of live Celtic entertainment with thrilling massed pipe bands on parade, including eight award-winning California-based pipe bands, plus talented Highland and Irish dancers.
The outstanding array of special entertainment this year will feature many crowd-pleasing favorites, including Irish singer and humorist, Seamus Kennedy, (www.seamuskennedy.com), Celtic rock band Stand Easy with John Mclean Allan (www.standeasyband.com), singer/songwriter Peter Daldry Trio (www.peterdaldry.com) and more. Returning this year is Christopher Yates (http://www.rustyhappenings.com/roving.htm) as McCloud the Scotsman, aka Kilts on Stilts, the ten foot tall roving Scotsman, entertaining for all ages. On Sunday, the Festival will also feature “Salute to the Irish” that will include special Irish entertainment.
The Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival also includes exciting Scottish heavy athletic competition events seen in award-winning films such as Braveheart, Rob Roy and Brave, including the famous caber toss, hammer and stone throw, weight for distance and height, and the sheaf toss.
Other crowd-pleasing activities include the powerful massed pipe bands, thrilling Drum Major competition, Solo and Pipe Band competitions, Highland Dancing, Irish Step dancing, and sheepdog herding. Step back in time with costumed historical re-enactment Groups depicting life in 16th Century Scotland with Clan Galbraith, St. Andrew’s Society including meet and greets and tea with Mary Queen of Scots, and the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism).
Festival attendees will also enjoy researching their own clans at the clan and Celtic association tents as they stroll through the Avenue of Clans.
There are lots of fun interactive children’s games activities planned for the wee ones at the Children's Glen, too. Little ones can participate in scaled down athletic events (mini-Caber toss, pillow over the bar, mini braemar stone putt), plus enjoy fun Celtic craft projects and the popular Celtic Quest.
Many vendors at the Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival will offer tasty British and Scottish food and drink, and unique Scottish and Irish crafts, jewelry, clothing, and music that will be enjoyed by all. There’s always wonderful shopping with authentic products imported from Scotland, Ireland and England and hand-made items with Celtic themes. This year’s event features many returning and new vendors with an array of popular Celtic items, including Heirloom Blessings (Scottish collectibles, sweaters and children’s clothing), Celtic Shoppe (Scottish and Irish crafts, scarves, kilt hose), A & A Company (Scottish Celtic silver jewelry), Heather Glen Designs (Scottish and Celtic jewelry designs), Nagle Forge (hand-forged jewelry in silver, bronze and gold), Anthony Rees Designs (silver, brass and copper wire jewelry), C H Hutchinson (swords, armour and kilts), Phoenix and Crow (Celtic totebags and tapestries), Celtic Jackalope (Clan Crests Plaques, T-shirts), Rowan of the Woods (Celtic novels, handmade wooden toys), Why Knot Fashions (embossed T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts--adults and children), Family History of Surnames (histories of last names, crests), Browns English Toffee (handmade toffees), MacGregor Imports (British chocolates, shortbread, UK fine foods, stuffed animals, and chanters), and much more.
Enjoy the delicious tastes of Scotland and England from Ministry of Food (British bangers, Celtic rolls, and shepherds pies), Heritage Meat Pies-Sunblest Foods (assorted traditional Scottish meat pies, steak and mushroom pies, steak and veggie pies, sausage rolls, shepherd's pies, chicken pie, and new this year lamb curry pie inspired by India/Pakistan - a former colony of Great Britain, haggis, scones with strawberries), Taste of Britain (fish and chips, corned beef and cabbage and kids specials of chicken tenders and corn dogs), plus Carmel Coffee Roasters (coffees, teas, and smoothies).
Don’t miss the popular whisky tasting seminar that celebrates one of Scotland’s greatest exports—fine, single malt Scotch whisky and learn more about the history, distillation process and various tasting characteristics of fine whiskies. Guinness beer and other beverages are abundant as well.
Want to learn more about Scottish drumming and try it yourself? New this year, multi-award-winning Scottish drummer, Davey MacAdams, will provide a Drum Clinic on Sunday.
The fun continues on Saturday night, August 2nd, at 6:00 p.m. at the Ceilidh (Scottish party) at The Mucky Duck, 479 Alvarado, in downtown Monterey featuring food, drink and more Celtic entertainment.
Each year, the proceeds from the Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival benefit several local non-profit organizations in Monterey County.

Advance tickets are now available. For more details, check out the website montereyscotgames.com or call (831) 682-2022. For sponsorship opportunities, interviews and high resolution photos, please call Wendy Brickman, Brickman Marketing, at 831-633-4444 or email [email protected].