Nairn Highland Games

Added on 15 August 2013

The Nairn Highland Games  is a traditional time for exiles to return to town and meet up with old friends. School reunions are often set aside for this weekend. The Games are always staged on the first Saturday after the Glorious Twelfth of August, the start of the grouse shooting season.
In years gone by, it was an annual holiday for the workers on local estates. The saying ‘see you at the Games’ is still used today. The landed gentry would descend on the town for the games and it was an occasion of great celebration.
A full programme of track and field events is complemented by the traditional competitions for the heavies, and piping and Highland dancing classes.  Another popular event on the programme is the Nairn Games Half Marathon. The links amphitheatre provides an outstanding setting for the event and the adjoining links are packed with the Showies (the travelling fair) which start arriving a fortnight before games day.