This Unique Fall Festival Sees 35,000 Annually in New Hampshire

It's a three-day festival that kicks of the fall season in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire, drawing more than 35,000 people.  The New Hampshire Highland Games and Festival takes place at Loon Mountain for an entire weekend. It celebrates the Scottish heritage, including incredible food, drink, shopping, concerts, and the unique heavy lifting athletic games that draw athletes from the United States, Canada, Scotland, Iceland, and all around Europe.

According to the New Hampshire Highland Games and Festival website, this diverse celebration welcomes everyone to do a little jig or watch the spellbinding dancers, gorge yourself on classic Scottish fare (or learn to cook it), and toast to a fun weekend with plenty to drink, including ale tastings and the best whiskey you'll ever have.

There are sheep dog trials, music competitions, dancing tournaments, bands with their pipes and drums filling the mountains with music, and plenty for children to do in their very own section filled with games and crafts.  Of course, vendor village is also a favorite, and has plenty of shopping.  The list goes on.

Then there's the Heavy Athletics Games, known as the Highland games in Scottish culture. It runs deep in their roots, as warriors needed to stay in shape between battles and test their manhood.

The Caber toss (throwing telephone poles or tree trunks), stone lifting, throwing iron balls, and curling are some of the Olympic-style games you can watch.  Picture muscular men and women lifting and throwing while decked out in Scottish attire.  As a matter of fact, dressed to the nines in Scottish clothing is what you'll see everywhere at this unique festival, happening September 15-17.

There are plenty of what New Hampshire Highland Games and Festival calls "try-it" classes, involving learning the athletics.  Can you imagine trying to throw trunks?

Click here for all the ticket info you need, whether it's for weekend passes, single day tickets, special food and drink events, or live music and concert events.