Labor Day Weekend (September 5-6), 2026 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton

Since 1866, California’s largest and longest-running Scottish Games celebrates the very best of Scottish competition, culture, and family entertainment. 

Hosted by the Caledonian Club of San Francisco, this year’s milestone 160th Annual Scottish Highland Gathering & Games features the 2026 Men’s Scottish Heavy Athletics World Championships, along with our 50th annual U.S. Invitational Heavy Athletics Championships.

Other traditional competitions include Scottish Highland dancing, piping and drumming, soccer, and sheepdog trials. Live entertainment features Scottish folk musicians, Celtic rock bands, Scottish country dancing, living history demonstrations, birds of prey, and Celtic animal exhibitions.

Each day, the Grandstand Show features the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies with special guest military and pipe bands, culminating in the iconic Massed Bands; when hundreds of pipers and drummers unite in an unforgettable sight and sound.