Smoky Mountain Scottish Festival and Games

10/26/2025

👻 Happy Guising!

In Scotland we don't trick-or-treat, we go guising! 🧙‍♀️✨

Guising is when children in Scotland put on a spooky costume and perform a song, joke or poem, in exchange for sweets on Halloween. 🍬🎤

Rooted in ancient Samhain traditions, it's not just guising that makes Halloween in Scotland special. With tumshie lanterns, dookin' for apples, nut burning and much more all a part of the fun. 🎃👻

📷 IG/painted_olive

10/17/2025

It’s here! Stone Mountain Highland Games are happening this weekend and some beautiful weather! 😉

There is so much hard work and preparation that goes into these games. We love supporting our fellow Scots! If you’re in the area, or have nothing planned for the weekend, be sure to go hang out with our friends at Stone Mountain! You won’t be disappointed! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

💙 Next weekend will be here before you know it! Here are a few reminders to help you make the most of your visit:

𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘛𝘢𝘹𝘪: Assisting guests with mobility challenges from parking to the event area and back. Runs from the morning to the conclusion of the games. (Note: service is for transportation only, not gear.)

𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴: Now posted—plan ahead so you don’t miss your favorites! https://smhg.org/music.php

𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘵-𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘌𝘹𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴: Don’t miss the Tartan Forest, Scottish Country Dancing, and so much more! https://smhg.org/exhibits.php

𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴: Check out what’s happening, where, and when to maximize your Highland Games experience! https://smhg.org/schedSat.php | https://smhg.org/schedSun.php

See you next weekend for the 53rd Stone Mountain Highland Games and Scottish Festival! 🥳 ✨👏

10/13/2025

More Bagpipes. More kilts. More fun! The Stone Mountain Highland Games is happening this weekend (Oct. 17-19) in Stone Mountain, Georgia! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🐮🎻

10/10/2025

We have the best community and the best sponsors! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

What a blessing to get a visit from Keith Austin with Smoky Mountain Scottish Festival and Games! And this plaque? 🥹 Just so thoughtful! It is us who are thankful to be a part of something so fantastic! We are already looking forward to the 2026 games!!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

09/29/2025

𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: May 16th-17th, 2026

Join us for the 44th Annual Smoky Mountain Scottish Festival & Highland Games on May 16-17, 2026 at the Greater Smokies Event Grounds!

The Smoky Mountain Scottish Festival and Games is Tennessee’s oldest festival of Scottish, Irish and Celtic culture. Presenting folk, roots, rock & pop music, highland athletics, pipes & drums, highland and Irish dance. Whisky tastings, vendors and a great selection of beer and food from the Scottish, Irish and British homelands. Enjoy a weekend of family fun in the beautiful foothills of Townsend, Tennessee, just outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

09/25/2025

It’s going to be a good one this weekend! Who’s headed to the Dandridge Scots-Irish Festival?!

SCOTS IRISH FESTIVAL

09/04/2025

Middle Tennessee Highland Games Chief of Games, Kenneth Tucker!

Join the fun on Sept. 6-7th in Hendersonville, TN! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

We would like to introduce our Chief of Games, Kenneth Tucker, who comes to us from our honored clan, the Murrays. Kenneth is a retired preacher from Maryville, TN who has become immersed in his Scottish Heritage. He is on the board of the Smoky Mountain Highland Games and is the Clan Murray Southeast Regional Commissioner. Stop by the Murray tent and say hi.

09/03/2025

Save the Date for Sept. 27th! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Mark your calendars for 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟳; it will be here before you know it! We are working on great things! The website is still under construction for this year, but stay tuned. We are looking forward to seeing everyone's smiling faces this year!

09/01/2025

Wishing you a Happy Labour Day weekend from beautiful Townsend, Tenn. Fall is in the air! 🍁