Organizers of the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games were very happy with the way the event turned out this year.
The three-day festival saw more than 24,000 come through the gates at the Centre Wellington Sportsplex grounds over the weekend.
There were also more than 300 volunteers helping run the event.
“We rely heavily on these group of folks as well as service clubs and our sponsors,” said Elizabeth Bender, the festival’s executive director. “We like to give them a shout-out. Without that support, we would not be able to do what we do.”
This year’s festival, the 78th edition, hosted for the first time the World Heavy Events Championship, which brought competitors from around the world to Fergus, Ont. There was also the usual fare, like the highland dance contest, pipes and drums, heritage and more.
Bender said the overall mood at the festival was overwhelmingly positive.
“I think there was that confidence that they knew they were going to get a safe event, that we worked hard to bring in the best programming, and that the volunteers were incredible and helpful.”
The festivities kicked off Friday night with the opening ceremonies and a performance from the Canadian group Glass Tiger.
“We were thrilled with the bands that we had this year,” Bender said. “Overall, it was an amazing weekend. We were so happy, we felt we were on Cloud 9.”
Work is already underway for the 2024 event.