Media release 

June 14, 2023 

Piper who toured with Madonna bringing star power to ScotFestBC

The Lower Mainland’s premier Celtic (now World) music & cultural festival, June 16 – 18 at Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park

Coquitlam, BC – ‘Piper to the stars’ Lorne Cousin is jetting to Vancouver to help kick off ScotFestBC with a solo performance at the festival’s Friday opening ceremony. The SFU Pipe Band, one of the top Scottish pipe bands in the world, will take the Main Stage for a full concert after the opening, which will also feature a cannon blast from the 78^th Fraser Highlanders.  Irish great Sharon Shannon then takes over in the Big Tent. Cousin will also join a team of first-class pipers and drummers adjudicating solo piping and pipe band competitions the following day.

Originally from Campbeltown, Scotland, Cousin now resides in LA, where he is regularly called on to pipe for stars and in movies, and is the national brand ambassador for Glenfiddich. He has toured with Madonna, and played for Hollywood starts including Stella McCarney and Missy Elliot. He has won solo piping prizes at the Scottish Pipers Association, Cowal Gathering, Skye Gathering, Argyllshire Gathering, and the Northern Meeting. He has played with the City of Glasgow, Strathclyde Police, and the LA Scots pipe bands. He’s a Grade A solo piping adjudicator.

On Saturday, ScotFestBC will see Celtic music, dance, competitions and culture throughout Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park – on four stages, numerous tents and stands and grass meadows. On Sunday the park will go international with the first-ever ScotFestBC World Music Festival.

“The World Music Festival is an expansion of our existing multicultural program that we started in 2016,” says ScotFestBC executive director Mike Chisholm.  “This is a community-driven initiative to welcome all Canadians to our event and to celebrate our common bonds of music and citizenship. We’ve had such a positive response to this in past years that we had to expand to a separate full day.”

ScotFestBC will take place Friday – Sunday, June 16 – 18, at Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park. Friday and Saturday programs will feature a rich diversity of Scottish events, followed by the first-ever full-day World Music Festival on the Sunday.

View the full ScotFestBC Friday and Saturday schedule here, the Sunday schedule here.

Following the opening, SFU Pipe Band concert, and music in the Big Tent Friday evening, Saturday will feature Celtic bands in the Big Tent (with beverage service), pipe bands of all grades on the park’s meadows, Highland dance on the big stage, REMAX heavy events on the Lew Ross Field, a whisky school, cultural workshops, 20 food trucks, and merchandise vendors throughout the entire facility. The day will wrap with a drum major demonstration and a massed pipe band march.

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The 2023 ScotFestBC program will include:

Friday evening (3 – 9:30pm) 

• Opening ceremony – 6 pm with 78^th Fraser Highlander’s cannon blast.
• The Simon Fraser University Pipe Band on the Main Stage to perform a full concert starting 6:15pm.
• Irish great Sharon Shannon will follow the pipe band on The Big Tent stage
• Whisky & Oysters. Presented by Macaloney Distillery (ticketed event)
• Highland Dance Choreography
• Also on Friday, the Big Tent and beverage service will open in the afternoon with Blackthorn as the Games warm-up act starting at 5:15pm.

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Saturday (7am – 10pm)

• The 91^st British Columbia Highland Games – piping, drumming, highland dancing, Scottish heavy events, massed pipe bands, cultural workshops, children’s activities.
• Piping – Solo piping, drumming and pipe bands will compete throughout the day on The Meadow, wrapping up with a Drum Major demo and massed pipe band performance at 5:15 pm.
• Celtic music on The Big Tent Stage - Celtic bands throughout the day.
• Heritage Stage, Irish & Scottish dancers, singers
• Whisky School – Bill Diamond is back with four unique afternoon whisky tasting classes
• Cultural Tent – topics that will inform, educate and entertain, starting at 10am
• Vendors – Scottish and world vendors & artisans offering a range of interesting items
• Saturday Whisky & Oysters, presented by Macaloney Distillery (ticketed event)
• Food trucks - Something for everyone.

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Sunday (10am – 5pm)

• A full day of world music, hosted by Gurdeep Pandher on the Main Stage, including
  • Foro Do Cana (Brazil)
  • Royal Academy of Bhangra (Indian)
  • Git Hayetsk Dancers (First Nations)
  • Sade’ Awele & Serengeti (African infused R&B)
  • Robin Laine & the Rhythm Makers (World jazz, folk, trad)
  • Jai Yoga
  • Mariachi Los Dorados (Mexico)
  • Pierre Schryer & Adam Dombres (French)
  • Silk Road Music (Asian)
  • Bero Saker Fusion (Middle Eastern)
  • JP Fell Pipe Band (Scottish)
  • Gaelic/Hindustani Fusion
  • Sweet Pan Entertainment (Caribbean)
  • Roots Peruvian Folk Dance
  • Kvitka Ukranian Dance

• Global workshops on the many nations that make up Canada, including
  • Indian
  • Chinese
  • South African
  • Pakistani
  • First Nations

Tickets on sale here.