Stepping Out

Time for a Highland Fling

There's more than just kilts at the L.I. Scottish Festival

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Grab a kilt if you are so inclined and join in the late summer spectacle known as the Long Island Scottish Festival and Highland Games. The boisterous event returns to its longtime home at Old Westbury Gardens on Saturday, Aug. 22, for a day-long celebration of Scottish culture and tradition.
Scots and non-Scots alike eagerly participate in non-stop rounds of fun and games as the landmark estate’s lush grounds fill with the sounds of piping and related activities, co-hosted by the Long Island Scottish Clan MacDuff.
With those bagpipes, highland dancing and some caber tossing — along with plenty of entertainment and assorted revelry for lads and lasses — the festival continues to be one of the highlights of the season at Old Westbury Gardens. It is believed that the games started with the ancient highland chieftains as a way of selecting the strongest men for their armies. Those ancient traditions continue today in the form of caber tossing, Putting the Stone, Tossing the Sheaf, and piping and drumming.
“The Long Island Scottish Festival is unique,” says Old Westbury Gardens spokesman Vince Kish. “It’s the only Scottish festival of its kind and size in the New York City metro area. It’s so interesting and has such a fascinating variety of programs and events going on all day long that it could probably be held in a parking lot somewhere and still be well attended and a lot of fun. Then there’s Old Westbury Gardens, an environment so amazing that it’s worth a visit even on a day on which there are no programs going on. Combine the two and you’ve found something truly special.”
“People are often curious about the  connection between the Jay Phipps family, or Old Westbury Gardens, and Scotland,” Kish adds. “Ironically, there really isn’t one. About 45 years ago, having spent their first 10 years at a variety of Long Island locations, the L.I. Scots were looking for a permanent home for their festival. They discussed this with our founder, and then president, Peggie Phipps Boegner, who agreed that our grounds seem like a perfect fit. And the rest, as they say, is history.”

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