ScotFestBC at Town Centre Park

ScotFestBC: The BC Highland Games is a Metro Vancouver Scottish festival that takes place in mid-June at Lafarge Lake in Coquitlam.

In 2026 the festival happens on June 19th and 20th which is the Friday and Saturday of the Father’s Day weekend. Continue reading or visit the scotfestbc.com website to learn about festival.

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ScotFestBC: The BC Highland Games and World Music Festival

ScotFestBC is an annual event featuring athletic competitions, Celtic dancing, live music, whisky tasting and bagpiping. It’s a family-friendly event and lots of fun.

The British Columbia Highland Games take place on the Friday and Saturday of June 19th and 20th in 2026. The event happens by Lafarge Lake at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam. Conveniently, it’s close to the Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain Station.

ScotFestBC has been a terrific event for decades. If you like live music, cultural events, outdoor markets, athletic competitions, whisky, British cars and everything to do with Scotland, you’ll love this event. We highly recommend it.

Click 2026 Festival Map to see what is where at the festival.

Visit the official ScotFestBC website for full details about festival.

BC Highland Games & Scottish Festival

Festival Admission

Admission to ScotFestBC and the British Columbia Highland Games on the Friday is free. The only ticketed portion of the evening is the Whisky Gourmet event which costs around $60 per person.

Tickets are required to enter the festival on the Saturday. In 2026 the early bird rates are $25 for adults, $20 for students and seniors, and $10 for children (ages 6 to 12). General admission costs are about $5 more. Tickets for Whisky School sessions on the Saturday start at about $65 each.

Festival Schedule

The schedule of events for 2026 is listed below.

We divide the schedule up into Competitions, Workshops and Demonstrations, and Live Entertainment. Some of the activities take place in the Big Tent, while others happen in the field and other locations.

In addition to what’s list below, at the event there is also a car show area where you can admire a selection of collectible British vehicles.

(Note: The following event times, locations and other details are subject to change.)

Visit scotfestbc.com for full details about festival.

Sports, Music and Dance Competitions

Below is the 2026 schedule for the various competitions happening at the festival.

Friday, June 19th, 2026

Town Centre Park

5:00 pm – Open Piobaireachd

Saturday, June 20th, 2026

Highland Dancing Stage

10:00 am – Highland Dancing Competition

In Piper’s Field

8:00 am – BC Pipers’ Assn. Solo Piping and Drumming Competition
2:00 pm – Pipe Band Competitions (Grades 4 & 5)
3:00 pm – Pipe Band Competitions (Grades 1 & 2)

In the Heavy Event Field

9:00 am – Scottish Heavy Events Competition

OTHER EVENTS IN COQUITLAM

Also happening in Coquitlam in June (and July) is Summer of Soccer which features FIFA watch party-style events at various venues on June 12th & 24th and July 1st and 19th.

Other events to look forward to later in the summer are the Celebrate BC Festival and BC Dumpling Festival. Both also take place at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam and have free admission. Celebrate BC is on August 3rd in 2026 (which is the Monday of the BC Day long weekend). The BC Dumpling Festival, meanwhile, happens on August 15th in 2026. Check out these festivals too if you can.

Highlander by Vendor Market Village

Workshops and Demonstrations

A number of cultural workshops and demonstrations take place in the Scottish Cultural Tent and Whisky School.

Friday, June 19th, 2026

In the Whisky School

6:00 pm – The Island Spirit Social

Saturday, June 20th, 2026

In the Scottish Cultural Tent

11:00 am – Gaelic in the Glen: The Vancouver Gaelic Choir
12:00 pm – The Great Highland Bagpipe: Zephan Knichel, Piper
1:00 pm – Olympians, Hero’s and Politicians – 129 Years of BC’s Caledonian Games: Neil MacLean
2:00 pm – The Vancouver Archives Scottish Heritage Records
3:00 pm – Rediscovering the Jacobites: Shauna Irani, Dana Graham Lai & Abigail Streifel, SFU Centre for Scottish Studies
4:00 pm – Suas a’ Ghàidhlig: (Up with the Gaelic) Robyn Carrigan

In the Whisky School

12:00 pm – The Whisky Revolution (Macaloney’s)
1:00 pm – The Spirit of Islay (JAK’s)
2:00 pm – The Highland Heights (JAK’s)
3:00 pm – The Grand Tour (JAK’s)
4:00 pm – The Peat Project (Macaloney’s)

Visit the official ScotFestBC website for full details about festival.

Highland Dance Trio — Kids on the Highland Dance Stage

Live Entertainment (Non-Competitive Schedule)

Below is the music and live entertainment schedule for 2026. (Note: Times and performer details are subject to change.)

Friday, June 19th, 2026

On the Big Tent Stage

5:00 pm – TBC
6:00 pm – Opening Ceremony
6:30 pm – Friday Night Kick Off Ceilidh
6:45 pm – Pat Chessell
8:00 pm – The Whiskeydicks

Saturday, June 20th, 2026

On the Big Tent Stage

12:30 pm – Strictly Scottish
1:15 pm – Bob Collins
2:15 pm – Te Tini a Maui Kapa Haka
3:30 pm – The Barra MacNeil’s
4:30 pm – The Saltchuckers
5:45 pm – Pipe Bands
6:15 pm – The Barra MacNeil’s

In Piper’s Field

1:00 pm – Salute to 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion
1:30 pm – RCMP E. Division Pipe Band

In the Heavy Event Field

5:00 pm – Massed Pipe Bands

Visit the official scotfestbc.com website for full details about festival.

Sporting Events

In addition to bagpiping and dancing events, the BC Highland Games also includes Heavy Events competitions which are open to athletes ages 19+ (although competitors ages 16 to 18 can register if they have a parent’s permission). Registration for the events closes a couple weeks before the games.

There are usually three categories of Heavy Events: Distance Events; Height Events; and the Caber Toss.

Distance competitions include the Stone Putt, Weight for Distance Throws and the Scottish Hammer Toss.

Height Events include the Weight Over Bar competition which involves throwing a 56-pound weight (for men) or a 28-pound weight (for women) over a bar. Similarly, the Sheaf Toss involves throwing a 10- to 20-pound simulated bale of hay over a bar with a pitchfork.

The Caber Toss is the event where contestants throw giant poles as far as they can, with each pole weighing from 70 pounds to 130 pounds and being between 15 feet and 23 feet long.

Visit the official ScotFestBC website for full details about festival.

Highland Games Heavy Throwing Event — Heavy Events at the BC Highland Games

Tips & Advice

Below are some suggestions to help you make the most of your visit to the BC Highland Games.

TIP #1: Take public transit if you can! The Lafarge Lake – Douglas SkyTrain Station is right next to the site and there are bus stops as well.

TIP #2: If you can only stay for a short time, then go in the afternoon. That’s when things are most interesting.

TIP #3: If you want to attend one of the Whisky School Classes, register early as they usually sell out well in advance.

TIP #4: If you plan to compete in the Heavy Events, be sure to register at least two weeks prior to the day of the games. Also, be sure to prepare well and know what you’re doing. The weights are heavy and you don’t want to injure yourself.

TIP #5: Wear your tartan if you have some. You’ll fit right in!

ScotFestBC Video

Below is a video to give you an idea of what to expect at ScotFestBC: The BC Highland Games. It features pipe bands and clips of other live entertainment from the 2022 event.

Other Information

See the ScotFestBC: British Columbia Highland Games website for further details about the event. Check out the Victoria Highland Games & Celtic Festival which takes place in May for information about a similar event on Vancouver Island.

Note: With ScotFestBC, most of the activities are under tents, except for the pipe band competitions and heavy events competitions. The Big Tent Stage, Highland dancing, whisky school, cultural tent and kids’ activities are all under canopies. This is good to know in case it turns out to be a rainy weekend.

See our articles about the City of Coquitlam and Coquitlam Events to learn about things to do in the town and surrounding area.

Check out the following for other events taking place in the Lower Mainland: