Tickets are now on sale for the 161st Antigonish Highland Games, which will run July 5 to July 12, 2026, in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The weeklong event is organised by the Antigonish Highland Society, and tickets first went on sale at 10 a.m. on March 2, 2026, according to the Games’ website.
The program at Columbus Field continues to offer traditional Highland events, including Highland dancing, piping and drumming, Scottish heavy events, the Highland Five Mile Road Race and Elite Mile, tug-of-war, and the Cape George Bike Race. Weekend music highlights named by organisers include performances by Beech Hill and Coastline on Saturday night and a closing ceilidh featuring Richard Wood. The Games are presented by MacLeod Group.
The 161st edition follows a celebrated year for the event. The 160th Antigonish Highland Games was named the 2025 Event of the Year at the 15th annual Buoy Awards, hosted by Coastal NS on April 16, 2026, a recognition organisers said underscored the Games’ importance to regional culture and tourism. More information about that honour appears on the Games’ announcement page.
The Antigonish Highland Society traces its origins to April 22, 1861, when it was founded and Dr. Alexander MacDonald was elected the first president. The Society first officially sponsored the Highland Games on October 16, 1863, on Apple Tree Island. The Games, staged at Columbus Field, are regarded as the longest running Highland Games outside of Scotland and remain a key community tradition in Antigonish.
