The Cambridge Scottish Festival held its media day Wednesday in preparation for the annual event in Churchill Park on July 14 and 15.
This year marks the 46th edition of the festival that will feature activities, games, music, highland dancers, food and vendors all in celebration of Scottish culture.
“There’s so much Scottish heritage embedded within Galt,” Laura McFarlane, president of the Cambridge Scottish Festival, said.
“Galt is named after John Galt, who was Scottish. I think it’s good we continue to celebrate the heritage that we have here.”
An evening of Celtic rock kicks off the festivities on July 14, headlined by the Mudmen with performances by The Dole Tinkers and Shy Harry.
On Saturday, over 20 bands, 200 dancers and several heavy event athletes will compete during the traditional Games Day.
At 12 o’clock and 5 o’clock the pipe bands will come together and perform all at once, something McFarlane says is “quite the thing to see.”
There will also be a heritage tent where people can learn about Scottish history and explore family connections.
With it being Cambridge’s 50th anniversary this year, a special display will be set up with memorabilia and artifacts to interact with.
McFarlane says the festival is a way to connect people and showcase what the community has to offer.
“It brings in people from all over,” she said.
“Everyone gets together and celebrates one thing we have in common. We have pipe bands from Ottawa, Maxwell and Detroit. We try to keep the vendors local so we can support local food vendors and artisans.”
McFarlane first became involved with the festival at the age of five when here parents, who own Rising Dough Bakery, started as a vendor.
“I’ve been involved for almost 20 years,” McFarlane said.
“I grew up going to the event and I always had opinions of things I wanted to add to it. The president at the time came up to me at one of the media days and asked if I wanted to join the committee. When he retired he asked if I wanted to take over as president.”
With activities planned for all ages, McFarlane believes there will be something for everyone to enjoy over the course of the two days.
“It’s a great day to get out,” she said.
“There’s lots of activities for kids and it's a great way to learn about another culture. There will be lots of great things to see and do.”
For more information on the Cambridge Scottish Festival visit cambridgescottishfestival.ca