Swords will clash, local Celts will don kilts and bagpipes will ring out across the fields of Corio for the Geelong Highland Gathering on Sunday.
The gathering, at Goldworthy Reserve, will feature highland dancing, whiskey tasting, Celtic music, haggis and even a Scottish terrier show.
The 42nd Highland Regiment and the New Varangian Guard will re-enact battles, while the Glen Lachlan College of Arms demonstrates swordsmanship to aspiring warriors.
Celtic competitors will face off in the South Pacific Heavy Scottish Games Championships and the Victorian Pipe Band Championships.
Winning back the pipe band championships was a major breakthrough for the event, explained Geelong Highland Gathering Association treasurer Peter McLoughlin.
The gathering had only hosted the championship three times since 2009, after holding it for a decade up until then.
Regular changes of venue for the gathering over the past few years had caused attendance to decrease, making the gathering reliant on sponsorship, Peter said.
“Hopefully a permanent home at Goldsworthy Reserve will see the gathering begin to recover from the decline it faced moving from venue to venue in recent years.”
The pipe band contest will include music adjudicators from Scotland, New Zealand, New South Wales and Victoria.
Three of the adjudicators judge regularly at the World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland.
“The highlight of the day will be the massed pipe bands at the end of the day`s activities,” Peter said.
The gathering also includes a Scottish faire market with food, souvenirs and clothing, and children’s entertainment featuring a petting zoo and jumping castle.
