Highland Village Day

Picture this… a hill full of people, young and old, on benches and on blankets tapping their feet to the lively Cape Breton fiddle tunes being played on the stage below. This scene is one witnessed every year at the Highland Village Day concert at the Highland Village Museum in Iona. With the beautiful Bras d’Or Lakes as its backdrop and the areas abundance of local talent Highland Village Day is a highlight of the summer, taking place on the first Saturday of August for almost five decades.

August 4th, 1962 was a milestone in the Highland Village’s history. This day saw years of hard work recognized with the official opening of the museum. To mark the occasion an outdoor Scottish concert was held on site featuring traditional music, song and dance. This festival, called Highland Village Day was a great success. It brought together people of all ages to celebrate and preserve the Scottish Gaelic culture in Nova Scotia. Since that first Saturday in ’62 Highland Village Day has been an annual event. The first Highland Village Day saw dance competitions, fiddle players, Gaelic singers, step dancers and the Gaelic College Pipe Band take the stage.

Over the years Highland Village Day became increasingly popular, bringing both visitors and talent alike from all over the world for the concert. In, 1979 a new stage was built to hold the festival and other special events. Word continued to spread and the number of people filling the hill continued to grow. The concert was traditionally followed by a square dance under the stars with music and dancing on the hill and the main stage for the rest of the night.

Today Highland Village Day continues to be a favourite summer event showcasing the traditional music, song and dance of Gaelic Nova Scotia much the same way it did back in 1962. The stage at the Highland Village has played host to many talented performers. In recent years acts such as Great Big Sea, the Barra MacNeils, J.P. Cormier, Slainte Math, Carl MacKenzie, the Cottars, and many more have entertained the crowd on the hill.

2008 will mark the 47th annual Highland Village Day concert. Come join us on Saturday, August 2, 2008 from 2 to 7 pm on the hill for good music, good people and good times.