The BIGGEST???

[mookien]

FWIW, Wikipedia under the heading "Highland games" states the following:

The Cowal Highland Gathering, better known as the Cowal Games, held in Dunoon, Scotland, every August, is the largest Highland games in the world, attracting around 3,500 competitors and somewhere in the region of 23,000 spectators from around the globe. Worldwide, however, it is exceeded in terms of spectators by two gatherings in the United States: the 50,000 that attend Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina and the even larger gathering—the largest in the Northern Hemisphere that has taken place every year since 1865 hosted by the Caledonian Club of San Francisco. This event is currently held on Labor Day weekend in Pleasanton, California.

[JohntheBiker]

FWIW, Wikipedia under the heading "Highland games" states the following:

The Cowal Highland Gathering, better known as the Cowal Games, held in Dunoon, Scotland, every August, is the largest Highland games in the world, attracting around 3,500 competitors and somewhere in the region of 23,000 spectators from around the globe. Worldwide, however, it is exceeded in terms of spectators by two gatherings in the United States: the 50,000 that attend Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina and the even larger gathering—the largest in the Northern Hemisphere that has taken place every year since 1865 hosted by the Caledonian Club of San Francisco. This event is currently held on Labor Day weekend in Pleasanton, California.

If you check Wikipedia under Glengarry Highland Games in Maxville, Ontario you will see the claim that they are the largest games outside of Scotland. Who knows. Depends on what you count. As home to the North American Pipe Band Championship, they draw in the order of 50,000 folks each year. They certainly have a lot of bands competing.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

As far as one day games are concerned Greenville, SC, is the clear winner with almost 30,000 paid admissions this year.

[Cecil]

Central Florida Highland games has a two day event now. Lots of tents, clans, food, drink and games. Its located at Winter Springs, Florida north of Orlando.

[cessna152towser]

Biggest games I have been to was the New Hampshire Games in 2010, three day event.
Last Saturday the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow had 35,000 attendees for a one day event. Mostly about pipe bands but they do also include mens, ladies and teams heavy athletics contests and highland dancing. No clan tents though.

[mookien]

If you check Wikipedia under Glengarry Highland Games in Maxville, Ontario you will see the claim that they are the largest games outside of Scotland. Who knows. Depends on what you count. As home to the North American Pipe Band Championship, they draw in the order of 50,000 folks each year. They certainly have a lot of bands competing.

I did check Wikipedia under "Glengarry Highland Games". The article states ...

"The games span three days and attract as many as 50,000 people, they are the largest Highland Games of its kind outside of Scotland."

I can't imagine what "of its kind" means. And you are correct - it depends on what metric one uses - number of participants, number of attendees, number of bands, hidage, tonnage, etc.

[ctbuchanan]

Subjects like this always draw a lot of comment and debate. I know Maxville, Ontario is very big. I haven't been yet but hope to soon. Some events are very large but strictly speaking straddle that line between a Scottish event and a "Celtic" event; Bethlehem, PA comes to mind with an attendance that approaches 250,000, but their Clan group is very small and I'm not sure they even have highland athletics. To me, every one of the games has it's own aura - but speaking strictly from a personal point of view it is very hard to beat Loon Mountain, NH; Grandfather Mountain, and Long's Peak Colorado for the spectacular settings up in their own "highlands".

[Geoff Withnell]

Defining how to do the count is an issue. I doubt if GMHG had more than about 15,000 at any one time on the mountain, but a lot of one day attendees come and go. I did a crowd count estimate of the audience at the Saturday night "Celtic Rock" concert, and got an estimate of 8200.

Subjects like this always draw a lot of comment and debate. I know Maxville, Ontario is very big. I haven't been yet but hope to soon. Some events are very large but strictly speaking straddle that line between a Scottish event and a "Celtic" event; Bethlehem, PA comes to mind with an attendance that approaches 250,000, but their Clan group is very small and I'm not sure they even have highland athletics. To me, every one of the games has it's own aura - but speaking strictly from a personal point of view it is very hard to beat Loon Mountain, NH; Grandfather Mountain, and Long's Peak Colorado for the spectacular settings up in their own "highlands".

[ctbuchanan]

Defining how to do the count is an issue. I doubt if GMHG had more than about 15,000 at any one time on the mountain, but a lot of one day attendees come and go. I did a crowd count estimate of the audience at the Saturday night "Celtic Rock" concert, and got an estimate of 8200.

That is very true, especially now with most of the mult-day events selling multi-day passes. Does that count as one person or three "attendances" (one for each day). I know at the NHHG we usually see about 8,000 on Friday, as many as 15-20,000 on Saturday and 10-15,000 on Sunday - depending solely on the weather. These numbers are on the upswing after a peak in the 90's (Braveheart effect), a drop off in the mid 00's and have rebounded nicely since. When we get a really nice clear, cool September Saturday in the White Mountains the attendance is huge.

[AcuteEnigma]

Personally, the metric I am interested in is Men In Kilts. ;-)

Number of clan tents is a good second.

Thanks everyone!