Payson Scottish Festival Planned for July 10-11

This year the Payson Scottish Festival will be celebrating their 32nd year as an organized non-profit corporation.  PSFA was organized under the direction of Don Lankford as the first Chairman in 1983 in preparation for their first games in August 1984 which were held in connection with Payson’s Onion Days with the help of Helen Scott who later became the Chairman from 1986 to 2000.  The festival has been bringing fun and entertainment to Payson and Utah County residents since its inception. 

This year marks the 31st official Payson Scottish Festival and highland games.

The event begins on Friday evening, July 10th with entertainment in the park from 6:30 – 9:30 pm. The featured performing artist this year is Men of Worth, giving performances on both Friday and Saturday.  

There will be an early morning 5K run before the main event begins on Saturday morning sponsored by the Boy Scouts. The competitions begin on Saturday morning.  Opening ceremonies will be held on the piping field at noon after a clan parade through the park where the current Chieftain, Bob Gallimore, will officially open the games. Dancers, pipes and bands, and athletes compete throughout the day.

There are always a number of new merchant vendors and clan booths that join us each year. The clans offer history and genealogical expertise.  The food vendors keep the crowds fed and hydrated with enticing victuals.  Merchant vendors offer a wide variety of high-quality Scottish and Celtic-themed goods for sale.

The event concludes with Closing Ceremonies after all the competitions are over on the Piping Field at 5pm.  After the Flowers of the Forest (folks who have recently passed on) are read, the bands will play Flower of Scotland and Amazing Grace. The winners of the Pipes and Bands competitions will be announced. The bands play a final number and the games end.

Everyone leaves tired and satisfied from a fun-filled day of all things Scottish.  Join us this year on July 10 & 11, 2015 at Payson Memorial Park for the best family fun around. For more information, find us at www.paysonscottishfestival.org.