2011 Las Vegas Games
April 15-17, 2011

The 2011 Las Vegas Celtic Gathering & Highland Games will be held in conjunction with the Las Vegas International Celtic Festival being organized by Las Vegas Events.

The Las Vegas Celtic Society is still organizing and running the Las Vegas Celtic Gathering & Highland Games which is one of the three components planned for the Las Vegas International Celtic Festival. We are the Highland Games portion of the Las Vegas International Celtic Festival. Our Highland Games website (www.lasvegascelticsociety.org or www.lvicf.org) will continue to have the latest information regarding VIP, Clans, Athletics, Solo Piping/Drumming, Vendors, Vendor/Sponsors, Highland Dance, Whiskey and Beer Tasting, Children’s Events, Event Schedule and more. The pipe band championship will be at the same venue as the highland games.

Please visit the Las Vegas Celtic Festival website (www.lasvegascelticfestival.com) for information regarding sponsorship, participation, planned events and scheduling, hotels, and ticketing at the 2011 event or simply click on the website links included on both websites. We look forward to seeing you in 2011.

If you would like to volunteer to help with the 2011 Celtic Gathering & Highland Games please contact the Las Vegas Celtic Society. We welcome one-and-all. We can never have too many volunteers helping out. Give us 4 hours of your time and we’ll give you a free t-shirt, all the water you can drink and a 2 day pass to the highland games and pipe band championship.

What's New

Don't miss the amazing video by Michael Quine, Las Vegas Review Journal 4/20/10. Many thanks!

Great videos from Brian & Jennifer Bessire. Many thanks for sharing!

The Piping and Drumming Competition results have been posted. Many thanks to our 2010 participating Pipe Bands!

Linda Evans, entertainment columnist and photographer for Living Las Vegas, posted her review (with photos) of the Las Vegas Highland Games. Check out If it’s not Scottish…it’s CRRRAP! Many thanks to the Photo Diva and Living Las Vegas!

The Highland Dance Competition results have been posted. Congratulations to all our trophy winners. Thank you to all the dancers who competed and made the competition a great success.

Follow us on Twitter! We have changed our Twitter name to LVHighlandGames.

Battle Born Pipe Band

To celebrate 50 years of piping and drumming in Nevada a new all state band has been formed. The Battle Born Pipe Band includes the best pipers and drummers from all over our great state. Reno, Carson City, Las Vegas and Elko are all represented within the band. The band was formed to celebrate 50 years of piping and drumming but also because there were many pipers and drummers who wanted to advance their skills and compete. The goal of the band is to travel to The World's Bagpiping Championship in Glasgow, Scotland in 2011.

The Pipe Sgt. is James Sawyer (Grade II, Hamilton Police) of Elko, Nevada. Bryce Parker (Grade I, LA Scots) is writing drum scores and instructing the drummers, no Drum Sgt. has been chosen yet. With James and Bryce at the helm, the standard of piping and drumming is rising quickly in Nevada. The band has had two performances so far. Practices are difficult for all members to attend yet the group is bonding and playing well so far. As true Nevadans the group is working to overcome obstacles. Members realize that practice and preparation are important. The biggest obstacle so far is obtaining funding for travel, matching chanters, matching drums and eventually matching kilts.

The band will be practicing in Las Vegas on July 24, 2010 and will have a performance that evening, location TBA. If you want to help, donate or join, contact Betty Parker, dspdbandbabe@aol.com or 702-837-4346.

The New Las Vegas Tartan!

The new Las Vegas Tartan was unveiled May 15, 2010 at the St. Andrews of Southern Nevada Afternoon Tea. Rick Pawlowski designed the official Nevada State Tartan in 2001 and as part of the upcoming 10th anniversary he has unveiled The Las Vegas Tartan.

This tartan should be available before the 2011 Las Vegas Highland Games through Burnett's and Struth in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. If all goes as planned, the tartan will be available at the highland games. Keep checking the web site for more information. A portion of all sales of the tartan will go to charity. A Las Vegas Tartan Kilt will be the height of fashion at the Vegas Games in 2011!

Photo L-R: Betty Neill-Parker and Rick Pawlowski

Guy Parker Named St. Andrews Society
Scot of the Year 2010

Guy Parker, President of the Las Vegas Celtic Society, was honored this weekend by the St. Andrews Society of Southern Nevada. He was recipient of the Ray Pence Memorial Southern Nevada Scot of the Year 2010 Award.

Guy, one of the founders of the Las Vegas Celtic Society, has been actively involved in the Scottish Community in Las Vegas for many, many years.

Please join the Las Vegas Celtic Society in congratulating him on being awarded Scot of the Year 2010!


Parker Family Photo (left to right) - Daughter, Briana Parker, Guy Parker, Betty Parker with picture of son, Bryce Parker.

Of Interest

St. Andrews Presbyterian College Pipe Band Recruiting for 2010

The St. Andrews Presbyterian College Pipe Band is working hard to recruit new members (pipers especially) to take the place of a fine crop of Spring 2010 graduates.  We are looking for good students who want to keep up their playing during the college years while taking advantage of the excellent academic offerings which are available.  We will appreciate any leads, contacts, or referrals.

St. Andrews is a fully-accredited 4-year college of the liberal arts and sciences.  We have been named one of the top colleges in the South by US News and World Report as well as the Princeton Review.  Liberal scholarship assistance is available based on both academics as well as piping and drumming proficiency.  Up to $13,500 in assistance is available to those who have applied, been admitted, and have completed their FAFSA forms prior to April 1.

For further information or referrals, please e-mail Bill Caudill (Pipe Major, Instructor).

Thank you for Supporting the Las Vegas Celtic Society!