For 46 years, Scotfest has brought a little piece of Scotland to Oklahoma. This September, we want to fill those grounds again.
Thousands of people have walked through the gates to hear the pipes, watch the cabers fly, discover their clan, dance to incredible live music, raise a pint with friends and introduce another generation to the culture and traditions that make this festival so special.
This September, we want to fill those grounds again.
Not because we want people dwelling on endings. Because Scotfest deserves one incredible weekend.
And the best way to make that happen is remarkably simple:
Buy your tickets. Bring your family. Bring your friends. And come be part of it.
There probably couldn't be a more appropriate Scotfest year for Oklahoma.
46 years of Scotfest in the 46th state.
That's something worth celebrating.
This year's festival is about everything that has always made Scotfest special: Highland athletics, live Celtic music, pipes and drums, Highland dancing, clans and genealogy, Scottish food, vendors, whisky, beer, kilts, kids activities and several thousand people gathering together for one very Scottish weekend in Oklahoma.
You don't have to be Scottish. You don't have to know your clan. And you certainly don't have to own a kilt.
You just need to come ready to have a good time.
Here's something most festival-goers understandably don't think about: buying your ticket early actually matters.
A festival like Scotfest spends much of its money long before the gates ever open.
Bands have to be booked. Equipment has to be rented. Insurance has to be paid. Infrastructure has to be arranged. Entertainment, sanitation, security, power, transportation and dozens of other expenses begin accumulating months before anyone hears the first bagpipe.
Advance ticket sales give us the confidence — and the cash flow — to keep building the best possible festival.
So when you buy a ticket today, you're doing more than reserving your place for September. You're helping build the festival you're coming to enjoy.
We know how people operate.
"We'll get tickets later." "We'll see what everyone else is doing." "We'll buy them the week before."
We all do it.
But this year, we're asking our Scotfest family to do something a little different.
If you're already planning to come, please don't wait. Buy the ticket now. If your friends have been talking about coming, send them the link. If you've brought your kids before, bring them again. If you've always said, "I've been meaning to go to Scotfest," this is the year to finally do it.
And if you haven't been in a few years? We'd particularly love to see you back.
Scotfest has never really been something you simply "attend." You experience it.
You hear the pipes before you've even reached the gate. You wander through the clans and discover a surname you recognize. You watch somebody throw what appears to be an entire telephone pole and suddenly find yourself arguing about whether it turned properly. You hear a band you've never seen before and end up standing in front of the stage two hours later.
You buy something you absolutely did not intend to buy. Someone in your group decides they need a kilt. There is usually whisky involved somewhere.
And before you know it, you've spent the entire day there.
That's Scotfest.
It's messy, loud, colorful, occasionally ridiculous and completely unlike almost anything else you'll experience in Oklahoma.
One of the best things you can do for Scotfest this year is introduce somebody new to it.
Bring the neighbor who keeps asking what that Scottish festival is all about. Bring the coworker who says they're "a little Scottish." Bring the friend who likes live music. Bring the person who likes strongmen competitions. Bring the family that needs something different to do for the weekend.
They don't need Scottish ancestry to enjoy Scotfest. Some of our biggest fans probably couldn't identify a Campbell from a MacDonald if their life depended on it.
That's okay. We'll educate them eventually.
Scotfest has been built by volunteers, athletes, musicians, dancers, clans, vendors, sponsors and countless people who have given their time to it over the years.
But none of it works without the audience.
You are the festival.
So this year, we'd like to see the biggest gathering of the Scotfest family we can possibly create.
Old friends. New friends. Former volunteers. Past athletes. People who haven't been since the kids were little. People who have never been at all.
Everybody.
There will be plenty of time someday to talk about Scotfest's history. This September is about enjoying it.
About hearing the pipes. About cheering for the athletes. About discovering great music. About raising a glass. About celebrating Scottish culture. About spending a weekend with people you probably only see once a year.
And about creating one hell of a Scotfest.
46 years. The 46th state. One very Scottish weekend.
If you've been thinking about coming, don't wait. Buy your tickets today. Then send the link to somebody who should be standing beside you when the pipes start playing.