The Highland Games has returned to Victoria for the 162nd time, bringing with it Celtic sports, music, culture and plenty of tartan.
Hundreds flocked to Victoria's Topaz Park on May 17 for the first day of the weekend event, which offered fun for people of all ages and interests.
Pipe bands blasted Scottish tunes, Highland dancers skipped and jumped, and workshops helped attendees research their Scottish roots, find their family tartan and even learn the art of Scottish country dancing.
For those eager for fast-paced action, a group of fully armoured medieval combat men and women demonstrated the sport of Buhrut. These brave folks used blunt, steel weapons to clobber each other to the ground.
While many opted to take part in whiskey-pairing sessions, others chose to sip reds and whites in wine-tasting seminars. Beer was readily available, and food trucks served nosh to hungry attendees.
The centrepiece of the festival – the heavy sporting events – kicked off at 1 p.m. in the lower half of the park. There, cooking under the sun, hundreds watched burly athletes shotput weighty stones, throw hammers and hurl blacksmith weights – large metal balls and chains that can weigh 56 pounds.
The event's opening day followed the the annual Tartan Parade, where local pipe bands, Highland dancers, athletes and members of local Scottish and Celtic groups paraded down Government Street to the grounds of the B.C. Legislature on May 10.
Highland Games will continue on May 18 at Topaz Park, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For more information, visit: victoriahighlandgames.com.
