The 7th annual Canberra Burns Club Highland Gathering is on Saturday October 7 at the Kambah Oval.

You’ll find it adjacent to the Canberra Burns Club, Kett Street Kambah.

The gathering features Scottish culture, art, food and of course music and dance.

This will include the massed pipes and drums playing at 10.30am and again at around 4.30pm. 

This community event is free for you to attend and a great day out for the family.

This year’s gathering is bigger than ever with a record number of pipe bands attending from around Australia.

“We’ve got pipe bands coming from as far as Adelaide and Melbourne to compete in the ACT Pipe Band Championships, with some individual players flying in from Hong Kong” says Gathering Organiser, Athol Chalmers.

In addition to being able to watch some of Australia’s best pipe bands, there will also be a display of what are known as heavy events by the Tartan Warriors

These shall include the famous caber toss and the equally-famous stones of manhood. This involves lifting extremely heavy round boulders onto whisky barrels in under a few minutes.

You can also find out about your connection with Scottish immigration to the region with the Canberra and the Scots information stand, or research your clan origins at one of the many clan tents. Be you a MacDonald or a Campbell there is something for everyone.

Apart from the pipe bands, there are many other performances during the day including the Federation Guard, the Canberra City Pipes and Drums, and the Capital Spirit Drill Team.

The annual Canberra Highland Dancing championship is also run during the Gathering and features hundreds of dancers from Canberra, NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania.

After the gathering, there is an opportunity to relax and carry on at the evening Ceilidh at the Burns Club, featuring more traditional music and dance and the opportunity to have a wee dram or two.

Entry to the Ceilidh is free as well and entertainment is provided by local Celtic folk band Humbug.

With music and dance performances, food and market stalls, clan tents, the Canberra Scottie Dogs, face painting and jumping castle, this is a day suitable for all the family.

For more visit www.canberragathering.com.au.