Scottish festival president excited for upcoming event in Fergus

The 78th Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games are set for Aug. 11 to 13 at the Centre Wellington Sports Complex.

Organizers invited the media to a preview of the festival on Wednesday that included a caber tossing demonstration.

President of the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games Matthew Bennett-Monty said the festival has become one of the premier Highland events, not only in Canada but in the world, and it would not be happening without the effort and dedication of their 325 volunteers.

“We have eight service clubs that we work with,” said Bennett-Monty. “We believe in bringing everyone together and sharing funds, resources, and personnel. So it works out quite well.”

This year’s festival will host, for the first time in Fergus, the World Heavy Events Championship that will feature around 12 athletes from Canada, the United States, and Europe competing in a number of events. One of the participants is Wellington County’s Jamie Trask.

Fergus was initially selected to host the world championships in 2020 but were unable to due to the pandemic.

“This is a league that is travelling across the world and we are very fortunate that they have chosen Fergus as their North American destination,” said Bennett-Monty.

The festival will feature it’s usual fare of pipes and drums, dance, heavy events, Celtic music, heritage and genealogy, tug of war, and more. The tug of war is making its return to the festival line-up for the first time since 2019. There will also be more than 300 spots available for camping.

Bennett-Monty said there will be two stages set up on the festival grounds that will feature plenty of musical acts including one of Canada’s best-known bands from the 1980’s.

“We are fortunate to bring in acts like Glass Tiger, Snake Charmer, Glengarry Bhoys, and Albannach just to name a few.”

More information and tickets to the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games can be found on their website.