Competitions
Band Competition for Grades III, IV & V and Solo I to V.
 Stirring bagpipe music is an integral part of the Celtic heritage and culture. Come to the Williamsburg Scottish Festival to hear the sounds of the pipes and drums, and be connected to the mists of time past.
Piping and drumming competitions at the Williamsburg Scottish Festival are sanctioned by the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association (EUSPBA). EUSPBA is a non-profit, tax exempt [501(c)(3)] organization dedicated to improving all aspects of solo and band bagpipe and drum music. They recognize that music competitions provide a means of improving piping, drumming and pipe band musical performances, and have established a set of uniform rules and standards for performance and judging to which competitions may voluntarily subscribe. Contests that agree to follow the EUSPBA guidelines may be sanctioned by the association. Results at sanctioned contests are tabulated for Season Championships in each grade of piping, drumming and pipe bands. The focus is primarily on the Great Highland Bagpipes, the Scottish snare drum, the tenor drum, the bass drum and the performance of drum majors.
 The Williamsburg Scottish Festival’s Scottish Athletic Events are Class A Competition for novice and amateur Highland athletes. Celtic athletic competitions comprise the following categories: the Scottish Highland Athletic Competitions (or Heavy Events), team sports and traditional Celtic sporting events.
What are the Heavy Events? Scots have tested their strength against each other at Highland gatherings for centuries. King Malcolm Canmore, who began his reign in 1057, is credited with initiating crude forms of today's Scottish Highland Games athletic competition as a means of improving the abilities of his military. While the games had become festive occasions by the sixteenth century, they were still seen as a way for kings and chiefs to choose the best men for their retinues.
The Williamsburg Scottish Festival is proud to say that our Scottish Athletic games are sanctioned by the Mid-Atlantic Scottish Athletics (MASA). MASA was founded in 1999 by Heavy Events Athletes and Judges in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States to organize and promote the Heavy Events. MASA is now the official sanctioning organization of the majority of the Heavy Events competitions held in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky.
 Highland Dancing is one of the major attractions of every Scottish and Celtic festival, and the Williamsburg Scottish Festival is no exception. This year, dance competitors will travel from more than a dozen states to compete at the Williamsburg Scottish Festival. Many Highland dancers have an innate drive to compete and advance to a higher level. The Williamsburg Festival provides opportunities for Amateur and Premier competitors alike. Dancers progress from Beginner, through Novice and Intermediate levels of competition as their skills improve, with the goal of becoming a Premier dancer.
Highland dancing at the Williamsburg Scottish Festival is governed by and sanctioned by the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dance (SOBHD) and overseen by members of the Federation of United States Teachers and Adjudicators (FUSTA) and British Association of Teachers of Dance (BATD). Primary dancers are 4-6 years old, and just learning what it’s like to be in front of an audience. The older dancers are striving to rank in the top three places when they compete. At a minimum, Beginner and Novice competitors need one Third Place at a competition, in order for that competition to count towards moving up to the next level. Intermediate dancers have one year to compete at as many competitions as they can before moving up to Premier, who can compete for monetary prizes.
The Challenges afford Clans an opportunity to foster camaraderie, and are designed to offer a good-natured outlet for Clan rivalry through fun semi-athletic events. The Clan Challenges are an outgrowth of our very popular Ladies Clan Team Haggis Hurl, of years past. The inaugural Clan Challenge Competition at the 2006 Festival was a rousing success. This year, the Clan Challenge will include three events: "Clan Struggle" (tug of war), "Highland Darts," and "The Ladies Clan Team Haggis Hurl." Clans may compete in one or more events. However, the over-all winner will be the Clan with the highest total score from all three events.
| 
