With Scotland’s 2019 highland games and pipe band season now well over we look ahead to 2020 and post the following dates for your diary.

At this early stage, some events – and most pipe band competition dates except the ‘majors’ – have yet to be confirmed, and so we will bring you a fuller calendar in due course.

Notable observations are that for the first time in history, The Northern Meeting will take place before The Argyllshire Gathering. We understand this is due to a date clash with a theatre production at Eden Court Theatre. It has always been the case that The Argyllshire Gathering, founded in 1871, takes place before The Northern Meeting which was founded in 1788.

The 2020 Northern Meeting competitions will take place on August 20-21. This is only the second time that the event has taken place in August, the first time being this year.

The Argyllshire Gathering competitions are scheduled for August 26-27.

We also await confirmation on whether there will be piping competitions at Perth, Invercharron and Cowal next year.

May
10 – Gourock Highland Games, Battery Park, Gourock
17 – Gordon Castle Highland Games 
23 – British Pipe Band Championships, St James Playing Fields, Paisley
24 – Atholl Gathering and Highland Games, Blair Castle
TBC – West Lothian Highland Games, Bathgate

June
6 – Helensburgh & Lomond Highland Games
12 – Donald MacDonald Cuach, Isle of Skye
13 – United Kingdom Pipe Band Championships, Lurgan Park, Northern Ireland
13 – Strathmore Highland Games, Glamis Castle
14 – Ardrossan Highland Games
TBC – Aberdeen Highland Games, Hazlehead Park
TBC – Cupar Highland Games
TBC – Drumtochty Highland Games
27 – Ceres Highland Games
27 – European Pipe Band Championships, Bught Park, Inverness

Derek Midgley, Birnam Games, 2016.

July
TBC – Kenmore Highland Games
4 – Luss Highland Games
4 – Forres Highland Games
TBC – Loch Lomond Highland Games, Balloch
19 – Rosneath Peninsula Highland Games
19 – Stonehaven Highland Games
21 – Inveraray Highland Games, Inveraray Castle
TBC – Tomintoul Highland Games
24 – Durness Highland Gathering
25 – Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre Highland Games
25 – Airth Highland Games
TBC – Dufftown Highland Games
25 – Halkirk Highland Games
25 – Scottish Pipe Band Championships, Levengrove Park, Dumbarton
26 – St Andrews Highland Games
29 – Arisaig Highland Games

August
2 – Bridge of Allan Highland Games
TBC – Dundonald Highland Games
TBC – Aboyne Highland Games
TBC – Aberlour Strathspey Highland Games
5 – Killin Highland Gathering
5 – Isle of Skye Highland Games
7 – Dornoch Highland Gathering
8 – Abernethy Highland Games, Nethy Bridge
9 – Perth Highland Games, Scone Palace
13 – Ballater Highland Games
14-15 – World Pipe Band Championships, Glasgow Green, Glasgow
14 – Assynt Highland Games, Lochinver
15 – Helmsdale Highland Games
15 – Stirling Highland Games
TBC – Atholl & Breadalbane Highland Games, Aberfeldy
TBC – North Berwick International Highland Games
TBC – Glenisla Highland Games
TBC – Isle of Bute Highland Games
22 – Glenurquhart Highland Games
TBC – Strathardle Highland Gathering
20-21– Northern Meeting, Inverness
22 – Lonach Highland Games
26-27 – The Argyllshire Gathering
28-29 – Cowal Highland Gathering, Dunoon
29 – Birnam

September
5 – The Braemar Gathering
TBC – Blairgowrie Highland Games
12 – Pitlochry Highland Games
TBC – Invercharron.