Media release

April 19, 2024

ScotFestBC – the only festival you’ll find Ashley MacIsaac, a whisky school, great pipes and drumming, cultural workshops, world music, 20 food trucks, and caber tossing in one place

 BC’s Scottish music & cultural festival June 14 & 15 at Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park

Coquitlam, BC – Cape Breton fiddling great Ashley MacIsaac is headlining ScotFestBC: The British Columbia Highland Games June 14 & 15 at Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park.

Tickets are now available for one of the largest Scottish cultural festivals in BC; a full weekend where visitors will also take in the Pacific Rim Drumming Championship; the SFU Pipe Band world champion drum corps in concert; the RE/MAX Scottish heavy events; a whisky school in partnership with Jak’s, Macaloney Distillery, and the Georgia Straight; Whisky & Oysters in the evenings; 20 food trucks and numerous vendors; Celtic and world music on two stages; cultural workshops & demonstrations; children’s activities; Highland dance; Scottish country dance; and more – all in the same park, on the same weekend.

“There is just so much to take in it’s almost impossible to experience it all. ScotFestBC is going to be great fun this year, with a rocking headliner and great local partners upping our game in the whisky school, plus all the competitions, music, and culture our guests have experienced over the last few decades”, says Mike Chisholm, ScotFestBC executive director. “This is one festival you have to take in to kick off summer.”

Tickets are on sale now – www.scotfestbc.com

The 2024 ScotFestBC program will include:

Friday evening (3 – 10 pm) 

• Opening ceremony – 6:00 pm. The 78 Fraser Highlanders will again kick off ScotFest with a cannon blast.
• Pipes in the Park – pipes on the main stage with RMM Pipe Band, the SFU Pipe Band Drum Corps and highland dancing champion Marielle Lesperance
• Live Celtic music in the Big Tent through 10:00 pm with beverage service
• Open Piobaireachd (classical music of the pipes) on the Heritage Stage
• Macaloney’s Whisky & Oysters – After the opening ceremony in the Whisky School tent

Saturday (7 am – 10 pm)

• The 92^nd British Columbia Highland Games – piping, drumming, Highland dancing, and Scottish heavy events competitions. Massed pipe bands, cultural workshops, Whisky School, world music on the Heritage Stage, children’s activities, more than 20 food trucks, numerous vendors.
• Ashley MacIsaac – 3:00 pm fiddle workshop and 7:30 pm on the Big Tent stage.
• Hounds of Cuchulain, Bob Collins and The Whiskey Dicks on the Big Tent Stage
• Royal Scottish Pipe Band Assn. Pacific Rim Drumming Championship – 10:30 am on the Big Tent stage.
• British Columbia Pipers’ Association Pipe Band Championships – 2:00 – 5:00 pm on The Meadow.
• Massed Bands (all pipe bands at the festival playing and marching in order) – 5:15 pm on the Lew Ross Field
• Scottish Experience for the kids (piping, dancing, drumming, heavy events)
• RE/MAX Scottish Heavy Events – 8:30 am – 4:30 pm on the Lew Ross Field
• The Vancouver Championship with the BC Highland Dance Association – all day on the Main Stage and Saturday morning on the Heritage Stage
• Whisky School – 1^st class starting at 12:30 pm in the Whisky School tent, followed by three more classes and Macaloney Chocolate & Whisky at 5:00 pm.
• Cultural Workshops – starting 11:00 am in the workshop tent.
• World music – on the Heritage Stage 12:30 – 5:00 pm
• More than 25 food trucks and merchandise vendors – all day around throughout the park.