The Charleston Scottish Games and Highland Gathering, a long-running annual cultural event, has announced that its 2026 event has been canceled.
Hosted by the Scottish Society of Charleston, the gathering is the second-oldest event of its kind in the Southeastern United States. Since its founding in 1971, the event has celebrated Scottish heritage through a wide range of traditional activities, including professional and amateur athletic competitions, pipe band competitions, Highland dancing, Border Collie demonstrations, food vendors, children’s games and other cultural programming.
Below is the full statement from the Scottish Society of Charleston, as posted to social media:
"Due to circumstances beyond the control of the Board of Directors of the Scottish Society of Charleston, Inc., we find ourselves coming to our community for assistance.
"We apologize that, no matter how hard we tried, no matter how much we cut our Games budget in 2025, we simply could not overcome the additional expenses our 2025 venue has imposed on us.
"To that end, we have decided not to return to Riverfront Park. We have also made the very difficult decision to not host our beloved Scottish Games and Highland Gathering this year, and to spend it fundraising, finding ways to fill our coffers before we move locations in order to continue our Games (hopefully) in 2027. We are in talks with several other venues to find the best location for our attendees' enjoyment, and that is fiscally responsible, including a return to Boone Hall Plantation.
"Please know that it weighs heavily on our hearts to ask for donations from our members and community, and that we are forced to cancel our Games for 2026. Unfortunately, we have no other alternative.
"If you can see your way to making a small donation to the Society, here is the link for it: https://www.charlestonscots.org/donate/.
"The Board of Directors are working faithfully during this crisis to ensure that the
"Scottish Society of Charleston, Inc., as well as the Charleston Scottish Games and Highland Gathering thrives far into the future. We have celebrated 55 years as a Society and 54 years with our Games. We look forward to many more years to come."