The Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games is an annual summer celebration held in Fergus, Ontario. Having grown out of the clan gatherings of the early Scottish settlers who farmed the surrounding countryside, it is now one of the largest events of its kind in North America, drawing well over a hundred thousand visitors each year, many of whom come to Canada just for the spirited three-day event. Thanks to the Games, millions of dollars flow into Ontario annually, a sizable share of which returns to the town and the province through taxes and tourism.
The Games trace their beginnings to 1946, when a handful of local families organized the first gathering as a tribute to the Highland way of life their grandparents had carried across the ocean. It honours not only Scottish heritage but also the Gaelic language and music of the early settlers, whose descendants have marched in the opening ceremony since the very first year and whose customs remain central to the event. Since the 1970s, however, the Games have welcomed pipe bands and dancers from far beyond Ontario, whose contributions now stand beside the local traditions.
