Highland Games

Scottish heavy-event athletics — caber toss, stone put, weight over bar, hammer throw and Highland dance.

👥1 per team🌤outdoor

What is Highland Games?

The Highland Games are a Scottish outdoor sporting festival featuring a set of heavy events: caber toss (flipping a ~5 m log for orientation), stone put, weight over bar, weight for distance, hammer throw and sheaf toss. Highland dancing and piping competitions run alongside. The Braemar Gathering (attended annually by the British monarch) is the most famous.

Quick facts

Category

Strength Sports

Type

Individual

Players

1 per team

Where played

outdoor

Country of origin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Estimated origin

Medieval Scotland; modern revival 1820s (Braemar Gathering)

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified