UBC October 2026 - Highland Games, Swiss Style

As announced in yesterday's post about Highland Cattle, let me tell you about the Highland Games I attended. 

A Little Bit of Scotland, Just Down the Road

You don't necessarily have to go to Scotland to spend a day surrounded by kilts, bagpipes, Highland dancers and men throwing very large pieces of wood.

In early September, I discovered that about a 40-minute drive from me, you could get pretty close.

The Fricktaler Highland Games brought a generous dose of Scotland to Wallbach, Switzerland, complete with Highland and Irish dancing, Pipes & Drums, Scottish food and, of course, plenty of kilts. There was even a medieval market going on at the same time, although I'm not sure the Scots would have necessarily put those two things together. 

And if you read my little post yesterday, you'll know that this wasn't actually my first Scottish encounter of the week. Let's just say I seem to have stumbled across a small Scottish invasion without ever leaving Switzerland.

The real attraction, though, was the Highland Games themselves.

And this is where things get interesting, because these aren't simply random contests invented to give people in kilts something to do.

So what exactly are the Highland Games?

The traditional Highland Games developed in Scotland as gatherings that combined community, celebration, music, dancing and athletic competition. Some of the events were practical demonstrations of strength and skill; others were influenced by the physical challenges that would have been familiar in Highland life.

Take the caber toss, for example. The competitor isn't actually trying to throw the giant wooden pole as far as possible. The goal is to flip it so that it lands with the top pointing directly away from the thrower, ideally in a perfect 12-o'clock position. Distance is secondary to accuracy and control.

Then there's weight for height: a heavy weight is thrown vertically over a bar, rather like a very Scottish version of high jump.

Hammer throwing involves a heavy metal ball attached to a handle, swung around the body before being released. And stone putting is essentially the Highland Games' answer to shot put, traditionally using a stone rather than a standardized shot.

And yes, there was pitchfork throwing. Because apparently there is a limit to how many normal sports one can have before somebody says, "What if we threw agricultural equipment?" And if a pitchfork isn't your thing, there was always axe throwing, basically darts, except that your dart is considerably less forgiving.

There was also crossbow shooting, adding a little precision to all that brute force.

Watching these events, it becomes easier to understand why the Highland Games are more than just a collection of unusual sporting competitions. They are part of Scotland's cultural heritage; gatherings where athletic strength sits alongside music, dance, community and tradition.

And speaking of music...

Ninety-six pipers and drummers

The sound of Pipes & Drums is probably the quickest way to transport you somewhere that isn't Switzerland.

With 96 musicians taking part, there was no shortage of it.

Add Highland dancers and Irish dancers to the mix, and for a few hours Wallbach felt distinctly less like a small Swiss village and considerably more like a Scottish cultural festival.

And then there was the food. No Haggis for me, thank you very much!

The salmon deserves its own paragraph

I have to give a special shout-out to the smoked salmon.

It was secured to a special wooden board and slowly grilled over an open fire. Very yummy!

That's it. That's the paragraph. Actually, no — it deserves another one.

It was the kind of food preparation that makes you stop walking, turn around and think, Well, obviously I need to try that.

I didn't take any pictures of the actual competitions, but I did put together a video. So if you'd like to see what caber tossing, axe throwing, pitchfork throwing, hammer throwing and all the rest actually look like, the video is where you'll find them.

So, was it Scotland?

Technically, no.

There were no Scottish Highlands outside the tent. The Alps were still where we left them, and I did eventually have to drive home to Switzerland.

But with the kilts, the pipes, the dancing, the athletic competitions, the food and enough wood being thrown through the air to keep a lumberjack entertained, it was certainly Scottish enough for a day trip.

If there was an event like this in your area - would you be interested to check it out?

Video: Fricktaler Highland Games