Competitions in the Scottish Folk Arts

Highland Dance
Pipe Bands and Piping & Drumming
Dogwood Glen Scottish Harp & Fiddle Competitions 

Highland Dance and “The Carolinas Open Championships”

Over 120 Highland Dancers including the best of the American and Canadian competitors vie for the trophies and prizes. The ”Carolinas Open Highland Dance Championship” is held on Saturday and the national Dances are competed on Sunday.

Sanctioned by: SOBHD (Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing) and FUSTA (Federation of US Teachers and Adjudicators) 

LNHG Sponsorship 

Piping and Drumming Competition

Pipe Band Competition
The Cowal Highland Gathering at Dunoon in 1906 was the first to sponsor major Pipe Band competition. Out of a need to organize pipe band standards and certification of judges the Scottish Pipe Band Association was formed in 1930.

The Loch Norman Highland Games has been recognized as one of the three largest Pipe Band Competitions in the Southeast. 15+ Pipe bands made up the field competing for best of the day in the competition. Competition is held on Saturday in Grade III, Grade IV, & Grade V with Pipe Band performances on Sunday.

Sanctioned by: EUSPBA (The Eastern US Pipe Band Association) 

Individual Piping & Drumming

The Highland Piper is one of the most universally identifiable symbols of the heritage of Scotland. From all over North America these talented individuals are the headliners of tomorrow. At the edge of MacCrimmons Wood, these pipers and drummers will call on the centuries-old techniques to impress judges who have answered that challenge themselves over the decades. Truly the cream-de-la-cream.

Sanctioned by: EUSPBA (The Eastern US Pipe Band Association)

LNHG Sponsorship 

Dogwood Glen Scottish Harp & Fiddle Competitions
Strong competitors in both competitions with world famous adjudicators.  

The Scottish Fiddle Competition is held on Saturday. The fiddle was to Lowland Scots what the bagpipe was to the Highlanders. It was the fiddle that came to the Carolinas with early Scottish settlers. You can clearly hear many Scottish jigs and reels in our folk and mountain music.  

Sanctioned by: Scottish FIRE (Scottish Fiddling Revival) 

The Scottish Harp (or Clarsach) Competition is held on Sunday. The oldest of Scotland’s traditional instruments, the Clarsach enjoyed great popularity until the end of the 17th century. This traditional music is making a strong comeback.

Sanctioned by: SHSA (The Scottish Harp Association of America) 

LNHG Sponsorship