By Mallory Waligora, For The Oakland Press
The sounds of bagpipes echoed across crowds of fairies, knights and royalty over the weekend as the Highland Fling took over the Michigan Renaissance Festival grounds in Holly.
The celebration marked the annual return of the Highland Games, where competitors tested their skills in traditional Scottish feats. Both festival attendees and athletes tried their hand at the caber toss—hurling a long, wooden pole end over end—along with the stone put and hammer throw.
The Highland Fling returned to Michigan Renaissance Festival grounds Aug. 29-30, featuring traditional Scottish games and reenactors portraying life in 17th and 18th century Scotland. (Mallory Waligora, For The Oakland Press)
Dani Ferratts, who has Scottish ancestry, spent the weekend with others teaching swordsmanship classes. All of the trainers are members of The Swordsmanship Museum and Academy in Grand Rapids, which teaches historical European combat. The group demonstrated battle techniques associated with the Jacobites, who led a series of Scottish uprisings against England in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
The Highland Fling returned to Michigan Renaissance Festival grounds Aug. 29-30, featuring traditional Scottish games and reenactors portraying life in 17th and 18th century Scotland.
“America is made up of a lot of people from everywhere. It’s important for representation of all these different walks of life,” Ferratts said. “As a Celtic person, I personally believe that cultures that have historically been worked at to be diminished, and to a degree erased from history, they absolutely deserve a chance to be celebrated.”
Additionally, attendees rounded out the Scottish showcase with a kilt competition, showing off their finest tartans. Live music and bagpipe performances kept the energy high throughout the festival’s 30 acres.
The Highland Fling returned to Michigan Renaissance Festival grounds Aug. 29-30, featuring traditional Scottish games and reenactors portraying life in 17th and 18th century Scotland.
The Michigan Renaissance Festival continues its run of themed weekends through its closing day, Oct. 4, including the upcoming Viking Invasion weekend.
Click here to see more photos from the Highland Fling.