This is a great festival but the parking is a bit of a guddle! That is Scottish for a mess. This event is a great experience for exploring your heritage, eating, shopping, meeting clans, and watching the games. Music, lots of music in many forms. I went on Saturday the 17th because they were predicting inclement weather on the 18th. A lot of other people had the same idea and the parking was frustrating. I spent at least 30 minutes driving around to find a spot in the designated lots. My favorites were the Scottish popular music bands, the pipe & drum bands, the border collies herding goats and the men and women boulder carrying contests. I am going next year but trying to get there early. read more

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Lots to do and experience here! Music is awesome, the energy and vibe created here by patrons & vendors proves to be a wonderful environment full of fun. You will encounter random areas that teach you how to lasso, learn history, etc. The feats of strength were fun to behold, loved that you kinda roam around & find new things to see. The schedule is hard to find online, and does not include everything happening. Agree on other reviews in terms of parking & alcohol lines, it needs work but this event is great & worth it! Free parking in 2 locations! Does it take 30 minutes? Yes, but its free and nice of this festival to even offer it. Keep in kind: Alcohol is sold in tickets, go to a ticket booth first, then go to the actual ordering line. I was 100 people deep but moved fast & took 10 min. Such a great day, would come back for sure. read more

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What could improve is the line for the beer/wine tickets- only had 3 areas and one person manning. Waited 20 mins to the tickets. Then another 17mins for the beer. Food had long lines too but faster. Otherwise, it was fun. Had to pay 32$ for entrance. read more

Scottish Highland Games - Festivals Near Me - Winter Springs, Florida

I miss the Highland games every year and this year I FINALLY made it! A group of friends and I went and we had a great time! We did archery, saw a unicorn and highland cows as well as watched the various athletic games. We spent about 5 hours there which honestly was more time than I thought we'd be there but there was plenty to keep us entertained! Since this was the first time attending for I think everyone in our group, we were a little confused about a few things... We had to buy tickets for beers which was kind of annoying to stand in line to buy the beers then stand in line again to get the actual beer. The whiskey tasting did not require tickets though which was also strange. I don't remember anything being mentioned on the website or social media posts. I understand the necessity of doing such, but a heads up would've been nice. Oh, you can only purchase the tickets with cash too. The other thing was the schedule, the online schedule was very vague and we weren't sure if we had to buy the programs the boy scouts were selling in order to get a more detailed schedule? I personally did not want to have to carry around a book or I would have found out by purchasing one. I feel like we missed out on some of the things we wanted to see because the schedule of events wasn't super clear. Again, this was our first time so maybe there isn't a true schedule, things kind of just happen fluidly but we weren't sure. I did not eat but several friends did, they enjoyed their food and after getting drink tickets we enjoyed our beers, they were very cheap too! You can't get a craft beer for $5 anywhere anymore! I was impressed with the variety of vendors Overall we had a great time despite being confused about a few things. We're already looking forward to going again next year! read more

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The summary: This was my first time at this event, but will come back, although better prepared. We went in Saturday, from 1 pm to 5:30 pm. The pros: great people watching (lots of folks dressed up in kilts, etc.; fun & unique athletic events, beefy men and women); lots of cool vendors, bands (pipe and drums, performers), separate kid activities, free parking and shuttles & the border collie demonstration (although this lost its excitement after 10 minutes since it was the dogs chasing sheep around seemingly without a goal) The cons: parking was crazy & took a long time to park (there also happened to be a school event), the food lines took a long time read more

This is a great event. Parking is not easy so go early. Highly recommend.,! There are lots of things to see and do. The food is Scottish Festival food. Go see it... read more

Get your Scot on!! Whether or not you have Scottish heritage, this is an amazing event to hang out and have some fun. I, for one love to delve into the shops and see what amazing Celtic jewelry, purses, kilts! I love me a good looking Scot in a kilt, like my hubby... ok he isn't a Scot but MAN does that kilt look good on him (my mom's family is Scot so it counts, right?) Adding to the festivities are Quiddich Games (YES!! Who knew J.K. would not only create a new world but an actual sport) and Highland Games, incredible drums and pipes, you name it. There is definitely something for everyone. The concerts shouldn't be missed, my whole body hurt for days from the dancing. This is a must go event for the Scots and Scot at heart! read more

Scottish Highland Games - Scottish Highland Games FTW - Festivals Near Me - Winter Springs, Florida

We came mainly to hear our favorite Celtic band, Off Kilter, who had performed at Epcot's Canada section in Disney World for years. We also wanted to shop, eat and see any events we could. We took the free shuttle from the church (Inverness red line), which worked well. The wait was only 10-15 minutes. We arrived at about 12:30, having lunch prior and in plenty of time to see Off Kilter at 3:15. We arrived at the event, and it was crowded! The website said tickets could be bought with credit card or cash at the event, but most folks were using cash that we saw after waiting a few minutes. So my annoyed hubby got out of one of the many ticket lines and got in one of three long ATM lines that actually went pretty fast. There was a hefty 3.95 ATM fee. We would have gotten cash for free at Publix had we known. Felt fleeced after paying the fee, but tried to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. We arrived at lunchtime with long, slow lines at the food booths. Fish and chips were around $10. So glad we ate beforehand. One guy we talked to paid someone at the front of the food line for their meal and his if they would order his meal. The guy waiting said he stood 1 1/2 hours, yikes! But our acquaintance got his food quickly that way, paying a hefty price. The merch booths were fun to walk through but high prices -- think Disney prices for jewelry I saw. Bought our son a wooden toy sword for $15 after he pestered us. Lots of Irish Celtic knot jewelry and Irish merch along with every item you could think of with Scotland on it. It's a Scottish festival but music and merchandise was equally Irish and Scottish. We got to the outdoor theater an hour early where Off Kilter would play. A kind couple got up and gave us two folding seats provided by the event. They were scarce and we were SO grateful for this kind act! Many brought their own foldable sports chairs but beware there is a long walk from shuttle to the theater. Also, the grassy hill was steep where seating was with no grading or handicapped seating. Those in wheelchairs had a hard time, having to sit sideways in case their wheelchair brake didn't hold. Typical festival with lots of booze and a few visibly drunk people. Not a great atmosphere for younger children. It didn't bother my teenage son though. We finished watching Off Kilter around 4 pm but most events were done by then, even though it was open until 8:30 pm. My son was disappointed there were no kids activities at 4 pm when there was plenty of daylight left. Really poor planning on organizers part. Probably won't go again as most events are early in the day and it's a 30 minute drive from our house. For what we saw vs. what we paid ($20 each) it wasn't worth all the hassles we encountered. read more

Scottish Highland Games - Off Kilter performing at 2019 Scottish Highland games. - Festivals Near Me - Winter Springs, Florida

Really fun event to watch all things Scottish. Bagpipe brigades, Scottish beer from Dunedin FL. Sword fights. Guys throwing telephone poles around like toothpicks. So strap on your kilt man or woman, eat some Haggis, drink some beer and sing along to a Scottish tune read more

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What an amazingly incredible experience. I try to live by the mantra that experiences are much better than things, and rather than accumulating useless stuff, I am always on the lookout for new opportunities to learn,observe and enjoy cultures, behaviors, flavors, music and more. Enter the Central Florida Scottish Highland Games, it s a weekend full of good music, interesting characters, challenging sporting events, people, items and garments that represent an amazing culture. We took full advantage of the entire event, from interacting with the clans, watching athletic feats, learning about geographical origins, listening to amazing music, and even watching a few Quidditch matches. Can't wait for next year's festival to rock my kilt, sporran and hose. read more

I miss this event every year and I finally got to go this year! I had a great time. You can try Scottish cuisine, whisky, or beer. You will be entertained by watching manly men throw real heavy things far distances. You can learn about your Scottish ancestors or find out which clan you might be a part of. You can sit back and listen to bagpipers and scottish rock bands. You can try your hand at many different activities: archery, sword fighting, or axe throwing. It is fun for the whole family. My advice is get there shortly after opening because parking gets pretty nightmare-ish midday. Bring chairs and blankets and set up a spot on the lawn near the music stage. Use that as a resting spot between your activities. Also food lines are the worst midday. Try stuff early on in the day or wait til lines settle a bit. If you are a beer fan I highly recommend the Dunnedin Beers, The stout was amazing. read more

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5 stars for an exciting festival boasting traditional highland games, dancing, food, music, and whiskey! We always enjoy this event. I've been coming every year for at least the last five years, and it's always a blast. This year the musical acts were especially talented. If you're interested in seeing caber tossing, highland dancing, pitchfork tossing (not the actual name), big rock carrying, and a host of other traditional and awesomely Scottish activities, this is your place. Everyone is really excited to be participating, and it's always a great crowd. Speaking of the crowd, it's always fun to see who comes to these events. This is the place to come if you're just really into Harry Potter (they have a Quidditch tournament!), if you think Celtic stuff is cool (Irish please apply!), or if you're just looking for a fun day outside and want to have a great time and maybe learn how to property throw an axe. The food is also great. You can get scotch eggs, haggis, tacos, gyro's, fish and chips, baked goods, and a ton of other stuff. There's a ton of fun things to eat. My only complaint is the way they handle the beer: You have to stand in one insanely long line and buy "tickets" for beer. Then you stand in a different (only sort of long) line to exchange you're ticket for beer. I don't like it. They should work something else out. Overall, this is a great event. Fun for the whole family, Scottish or just Scottish at heart. read more

This year was my second year in attendance. I always have fun. I do think it is a bit overpriced. I am happy that the parking is free however. The food choices are delicious this year I got a giant turkey leg and my girlfriend got the same thing she got last year a shish kebab of chicken which was more delicious than it was last year as it had some sugary concoction on it. Our favorite part of the Highland games are the Athletics. We like to watch the men and women play. read more

Scottish Highland Games - Festivals Near Me - Winter Springs, Florida

Been here twice now, and though $20-25 is good for a day out (not including food), it's not one of those blown-away sort of experiences to get that fiver. If you're especially interested in Scottish heritage, have ever worn a kilt, or like tent-based outdoor expos, you should definitely come to the next one. It's unique, to be sure. There are your interesting field sports, like pole-heaving and weight-tossing. There are booths a-plenty by which to track your clan heritage. I guess your last name usually tells the tale, but I chose Clan James in honor of Our Lord And Savior LeBron James. There's a lot of Renaissance Festival ethic going on as well, just a bit less bawdy and with some real-life heritage to back it up. Less fanciful, more applicable (if your name has a Mac in it, doubly so). Besides that, there's a bit of Celtic, Irish, British, even English mixed in. If those distinctions matter even a whit, you'll probably enjoy it. Also, some Quiddich playoffs which apparently qualify in some tangential way as Scottish. Welp, that about does 'er. About wraps 'er all up. Go for it if you haven't got other plans. read more

Yikes. This event would be SO FUN if it was better managed! Parking is a nightmare and took over an hour. After that, we walked for 15 minutes thinking we were going to the games only to find we were walking to a shuttle stop. Then we boarded a shuttle bus for another ten minutes. After that, you get in a line to enter the festival. After that, if you want alcohol you must then enter another line to buy drink tickets. After that, you stand in a huge line in hopes of getting beer and they're out of pitchers. We got two beers and had to use the rest of our tickets on cheap boxed wine. All of the "events" were so crowded and inadequate seating so it was impossible to see. We didn't even try to get food because it was so crowded and disorganized. For the cherry on top there were no bathrooms. There were portapotties but they were on the far outskirts of the festival. We didn't try to use them. A lot of the stuff looked fun, but it was impossible to access so defeated the purpose. I would love to attend in the future if they fixed all of these logistical problems. read more

$25 to get in. Guess I'm spoiled living in Las vegas. We never pay more than $8 for this type of event. No disabled parking near the event. Had to beg the cops directing traffic to allow me to get dropped off closer to the entry but they did. I was expecting something different. read more

Too many people, the venue is not big enough for all of the people that come to this event. Not enough parking, even the parking off premises was full. We spent most of time standing in long lines for food and drink, restrooms, etc. unable to enjoy the event... $25 entry fee is way too high! read more

Not really worth the money. It took over half an hour to get from my car to the gate and once inside, the lines for beer and food were over an hour. There are a few stages to watch live music and there are two fields for watching various competitions. Other than that, it was mostly typical outdoor fair food and various vendors. Not worth the price for what is basically a glorified craft fair. I was disappointed. read more

Very poor event planning. We will never go again. Two beer tents for tens of thousands of people. An hour in line for beer. Too few food vendors for such a huge crowd. Another hour in line for food (terrible food by the way). No place to sit. Plus, you never know where you are in this sprawling complex of fields. If you don't know the layout (we didn't) you will have no idea of where to go, or what other events might be happening. You can't see from one place to the other, and you don't know where to go or what is going on in other parts of it. So you don't know if it is worth it to make the hike through the crowds to get to another part of it. In the end, we walked out upset and frustrated at 4PM. Between tickets, beer, and minimal, poor quality food, it was $90 that I REGRET spending. Never again. read more