Virginia Scottish Games

05/29/2026

Labor Day weekend plans? Oh, we've got you covered.
Two days. One epic celebration of Scottish culture, music, athletics, food, whisky, dancing, and more. The 52nd Virginia Scottish Games are September 5 & 6, 2026 — and trust us, this is NOT the weekend to stay on the couch. 🛋️❌
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Bagpipes? ✅ Caber tosses? ✅ Scottish dogs? ✅ The Hebridean Baker? ✅✅✅
Tickets are on sale NOW — grab yours before they're gone!
👉 vascottishgames.org

05/28/2026

This is an incredible event that you should attend if you can!

From the thunder of Revolutionary War drums to the proud traditions of today’s military musicians, America’s story has always been told through music. 🇺🇸

This July 17–18, 2026, experience history come alive at The Washington Tattoo’s 250 Experience — a breathtaking celebration of service, sacrifice, and the spirit that forged a nation.

Witness world-class performers, military pageantry, Highland dancers, massed pipes and drums, and the powerful traditions that have united generations of Americans for 250 years.

Join us in our nation’s capital for a once-in-a-generation celebration of heritage through music. Get your tickets today! https://zurl.co/mm4Dc



America250
Daughters of the American Revolution National Headquarters
Association of the United States Army - AUSA National
USO
The Scottish Government
George Mason University
British American Business Association
St. Andrew's Society of Washington, D.C.
Scottish-American Women's Society of Washington, D.C.
Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW

05/27/2026

Registration for the Highland dance competition is now open! The deadline to register is August 22nd. Sign up here: https://vascottishgames.regfox.com/2026-highland-dance

05/26/2026

Bring the whole family — and volunteer together!
The Virginia Scottish Games needs friendly faces for Kids Games, the Merchandise & Info Tent, Highland Dancing, and more on September 5 & 6, 2026. Sign up for one shift, get free admission for the whole day, and spend the rest of the time soaking up the games, music, food, and fun as a family. 🎶🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
It's a Labor Day Weekend memory in the making!
📧 Don't forget to email your shirt size to [email protected] after signing up.
👉 Sign up: bit.ly/VSGVolunteer26

05/22/2026

The pipes are calling... and you NEED to answer. 🎶
The 52nd Virginia Scottish Games are coming Labor Day Weekend — September 5 & 6, 2026 — and it's going to be an absolute braw time! Highland dancing, heavy athletics, bagpipes, whisky tastings, Scottish dogs, sheepherding demos, and SO much more. Grab your tickets before they're gone! 🎟️
👉 vascottishgames.org

05/19/2026

Want FREE admission to the Virginia Scottish Games? We've got a deal for you!
Volunteer for one short shift on September 5 or 6 — and enjoy the rest of the day as a guest on us! 🎉 We have slots available for:
🥃 Whisky & Gin Tasting Tents (21+)
🎪 Kids Games
🛒 Merchandise & Info Tent
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Highland Dancing & Piping & Drumming..and more! Sign up, pick your shift, and come be part of something truly special. Don't forget to email your shirt size to [email protected] after signing up.
👉 Sign up here: bit.ly/VSGVolunteer26

05/14/2026

The Virginia Scottish Games needs friendly faces for Kids Games, the Merchandise & Info Tent, Highland Dancing, and more on September 5 & 6, 2026. Sign up for one shift, get free admission for the whole day, and spend the rest of the time soaking up the games, music, food, and fun as a family. 🎶🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
It's a Labor Day Weekend memory in the making!
📧 Don't forget to email your shirt size to [email protected] after signing up.
👉 Sign up: volunteersignup.org/C7R3Q

05/13/2026

Tickets are on sale now! Join us for another weekend of music, athletics, dogs, cars, good food and whisky!

05/11/2026

💙🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 What’s your favorite Scottish word?

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CX7bJqjkp/?mibextid=wwXIfr

05/04/2026

Something else to celebrate if you are not a Star Wars fan.

Today is May 4th. Some refer to today as Star Wars 🖖 day (may the 4th be with you) -- we see it differently -- a day to celebrate the time signature 5/4 -- and the tune Cullen Bay -- written by Ian P. Duncan in this time signature.

Ian was born in Motherwell, Scotland, in 1934 and became famous for his compositions of light music for pipes; some of these are now well-established classics including the strong melody “Cullen Bay". While Cullen Bay is a beautiful area between Buckie and Banff in the North of Grampian. Cullen Bay is, perhaps, the only, or first published pipe tune in 5/4.

Oddly enough the same melody is to be found in the repertoire of an elderly banjo player and singer named Frank Proffit (Link was broken in post above, but here's another one for the banjo tune. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Ubtb773MM — for the song "Moonshine".

What is remarkable is that the nearly identical melody is found both in the pipe tune, Cullen Bay and in the Profitt banjo song. Both of these are in 5/4 and there are some other similarities. The uniqueness of each tune makes it unlikely to be mere chance, all the more so because 5/4 is not a common time signature in either Scotland or the USA. One cannot help wonder if Proffit or Duncan were ispired by some other tune.

We cannot think of any other bagpipe or banjo tune in 5/4...

We don't have an exact date for the Proffit piece (which goes back to the 1970s). The Ian Duncan tune goes back at least to the date of publication of the Scotts Guards Standard Settings, Vol 2.

It is also rumored Ian used an old French hymn as the basis for the tune.