Chicago Scots invite our dedicated volunteers to join us at the Old Town School of Folk Music to celebrate the life and legacy of Rory McEwen. Register below for your complimentary ticket!
Chicago Scots are thrilled to welcome Sir John McEwen to this year’s 39th Annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games, not only as the newly appointed Chief of this year’s Honored Clan, Clan MacEwan, but also as a gifted playwright, actor, and director. Sir John will perform his acclaimed one-man play, Country: Scotland. Whit like is it?, an hour-long show in which Professor Stramash, an academic who has just discovered the magic and possibilities afforded by theatre, conducts a whistle-stop tour of the history and literature of Scotland as he asks the audience to contribute to an understanding of the country’s essential nature.
Topic: Scots-Irish Self-Reliance on the Eastern Frontier: Living & Dying on the Dummer Claim Speaker: Julie A. Potter-Dunlop, PhD, Vice President & Secretary, Maine Ulster-Scots […]
Topic: Civil War in North Carolina During the Revolution
Speaker: Donald C. McLeod, FSAScot, FCCP, Historian and former Professor of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Duke University North Carolina; and State University, Buffalo, New York; Southern Pines, NC
Topic: Cape Fear Scottish Immigration Memorial Project
Speaker: Robert McLeod, President, Cape Fear Scottish Immigration Memorial Project, Wilmington, North Carolina
New this year your Kilted Classic registration includes entry into every competition, with a chance to win a bottle of whisky on every hole, and we’ll be playing the newly renovated Hillside course at Cantigny! Your registration also includes one mulligan, on-course food and drink stations throughout the day culminating in an awards dinner at the Woodside tented pavilion, live highland dancing, whisky tastings, and fun Scottish twists like trivia, Beat the Scot, and much more. One all-inclusive price, more chances to win, and more Scottish fun than ever before!
Presentation Topic: The Reformation "Theatres of Conversion in Early Modern Scotland"?
Speaker: Dr. Ryan Burns, PhD, Assistant Professor of History, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL
Liz Davidson is currently Project Director of Mackintosh Illuminated the National Trust for Scotland's foremost capital initiative that seeks to widen and deepen appreciation of the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his artist partner Margaret Macdonald
Join Chicago Scots for a Leadership Symposium in partnership with The Center for Gerontology at Concordia University Chicago.
Dementia cases in the United States and globally are projected to rise dramatically in the coming decades. While this trend is closely tied to longer lifespans and improved detection, it also underscores an urgent need for the memory care sector to evolve. Innovation, investment, and new forms of collaboration will be essential to meet the expanding and complex needs of individuals and families affected by dementia.
On December 5, join the Chicago Scots and Caledonia Senior Living & Memory Care for an in-depth dialogue with experts from Scotland and the US who are shaping the future of brain health and dementia care.
The 180th Annual Saint Andrew’s Day Gala, the Feast of the Haggis, returns to the beautiful Palmer House Hilton. Join us for Chicago’s longest running black tie event!
All Chicago Scots Members, Families & Friends are invited to join the festivities!
Topic: "For Freedom Alone”: William Wallace, Robert Bruce and The First Scottish War of Independence, 1286-1329
Speaker: Professor Martin MacGregor, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Scottish History, University of Glasgow, Scotland
Topic: A Great Army of Militia: Pro-Government Independent Companies and the '45
Presenter: Matthew Dziennik, PhD, British and British Imperial History, Academic Sabbatical, Skye, Scotland
A BURNS SUPPER is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns, author of many Scots poems including "Auld Lang Syne," which is generally sung as a folk song at Hogmanay and other New Year celebrations around the world. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, 25 January, sometimes also known as Robert Burns Day or Burns Night (Burns Nicht), although they may in principle be held at any time of the year. Burns suppers are most common in Scotland, but they occur wherever there are Burns Clubs, Scottish Societies, expatriate Scots, or lovers of Burns' poetry.
Topic: The Scottish factor in Cape Breton’s Coal-Mining Communities
Presenter: Don Nerbas, PhD, Associate Professor and the St. Andrew’s Society/McEuen Scholarship Foundation Chair in Canadian-Scottish Studies, Department of History and Classical Studies, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec
Topic: The World of Sir Walter Scott and Abbotsford
Speaker: Giles Ingram, Chief Executive at Abbotsford, the Home of Sir Walter Scott
Everyone is Scottish (for at least one weekend). Each June, we celebrate with our family-friendly, two day festival. About 15,000 people join us each year […]
The Inveraray & District Pipe Band, current and four-time winners of the prestigious World Pipe Band Championships, will perform live on Friday, June 12, 2026, at 7:00 PM at the Pfeiffer Concert Hall on the campus of North Central College in Naperville, Illinois before they compete in the largest pipe band championship in the United States at the 40th Annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton on Saturday June 13, 2026.
Join us for a summer celebration of family & community! Live Music Food Highland Dancing Children’s Games Raffles Admission is FREE!
Everyone is Scottish (for at least one weekend). Each June, we celebrate with our family-friendly, two day festival. Join us for a variety of Scottish activities and attractions from the iconic caber toss to the largest bagpiping and drumming championship in North America. There is truly something for everyone with our Highland Dancing competition, children’s activities, dogs of Scotland, a British Car show, a Celtic rock stage, knobbly knees contest, whisky tasting, genealogy and much more! At our marketplace you can buy everything Scottish….kilts, candy, jewelry and of course shortbread and haggis!
Every year at our Scottish Festival & Highland Games, the Chicago Scots feature a family or an organization as our Honored Clan. This year, to recognize and celebrate its’ strong Scottish roots, our Honored Clan is Rotary International. We are proud to announce that Rotary International’s Scottish President, Gordon McInally has agreed to lead our Parade of Tartans at 12:30 p.m. Gordon will also receive the Salute to the Chieftain from the Massed Pipe Bands at approximately 6.30pm on Saturday, June 15, 2024.
Ticket Discount. All Rotarians will receive a 15% discount on tickets. Your discount code is available through your local Rotary Club or contact Meghan Larson at meghanlarson@chicagoscots.org.
Recognizing Your Rotary Club. Every Rotary Club marching in the parade will be recognized by Club name. After you register, email your club name to Dawn Miller.
Parade kicks off at 12:30 p.m. Marchers should gather next to the Athletic Field at 12 noon with clans, families, and organizations.
Interested to Volunteer? Attend for Free. Volunteers get free admission on the day they volunteer. Time slots are 3-4 hours. See volunteer opportunities available here.
Massed Bands at 6:30 p.m. Gordon will receive the Salute to the Chieftain from the Piped Bands at 6:30 p.m. on the Heavy Athletics Field.