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Date: 7/5/2023
NORTHAMPTON — The Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival will celebrate its 28th year on July 15 at Look Park in Northampton, the same number of years that Peter Langmore of Blandford has been involved, serving as chair for the past 22 years.
Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival began in Blandford in 1994 as a one-time fundraiser to benefit the White Church, which was undergoing restoration then and just celebrated its 200th year in 2022. The festival continued annually, outgrowing the Blandford Fairgrounds after five years, moving first to Stanley Park in Westfield, and then in 2004 to Look Park.
Now the second largest Scottish festival in New England and the only one in Massachusetts, Glasgow Lands draws thousands annually from all over New England, New York and beyond. The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the bands on the main stage, including Enter the Haggis, Albannach, Screaming Orphans, Sarah the Fiddler and Charlie Zahm continuing until 8:30 p.m.
Tickets are $25 to $22 in advance at glasgowlands.org, $5 for children 6-12, and free for children under 6. The event takes place rain or shine.
The opening ceremonies, which have moved up to 11 a.m. this year and are hosted by Patrick Berry of “Mass Appeal,” are worth the price of admission alone, when 550 pipers and drummers from 28 pipe and drum bands will march on the field and countermarch in full costume, followed by the call of the clans who are represented at the festival.
Festivalgoers do not need to be Scottish, Langmore said.
“This festival is for everybody, it’s a multigenerational, multicultural event,” Langmore said. He said it also includes children’s athletic games and the water spray park. There will also be a baker’s dozen of food vendors, including Lad’s Pizza.
The clans will be present throughout the day to assist in tracing festivalgoers’ Scottish ancestry. Dozens of vendors will offer a variety of Scottish foods and imports, while Celtic harp music of the Pioneer Valley Harpers’ Guild will be played throughout. The Weavers’ Guild of Springfield will teach spinning and weaving, and there will be watchdog obedience and sheep herding demonstrations and Highland athletic games competitions.
This year’s festival will also feature Irish dance demonstrations by the Cassin Academy of Irish Dance and the Black Rose Academy of Irish Dance, performing at various times in the afternoon. Some of the dancers will be featured at the 11 a.m. opening ceremonies, and will give demonstrations during the day in both hard shoes and soft shoes. Dancers will showcase steps of solo dances, group ceili dances and traditional set dances.
The only event not included in the ticket price, which will be returning for a second year due to popular demand, will be the whiskey tasting in the Garden House in Look Park. Jay Cole, “the Whiskey Pirate,” will lead “A Whiskey Trip through Scotland,” showcasing the history, flavor differences and distilling techniques of each drink. Tickets are $30 per tasting at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and are available in advance on the website. Participants must be age 21 or over.
The Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival is a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote Scottish culture, raise funds toward local non-profit organizations and award Scottish cultural scholarships for Highland dancing and piping.
All profits from the event are donated to the Forum House, a counselor facility and certified clubhouse in Westfield, and the River Valley Counseling Center in Holyoke, which recently opened a Westfield office in the Westwood building and partners with the city’s public schools. Both organizations have a longstanding partnership with the Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival.
For more information and schedules, visit www.glasgowlands.org.