NH Highland Games & Festival marks 50 years with music, games and a world record attempt

As New England’s biggest Scottish bash turns 50, it’s aiming for the record books.

What began as a “wee clan picnic” in 1975 has grown into an expansive three-day festival at Lincoln’s Loon Mountain, drawing tens of thousands every fall.

“We have people who come back year in and year out. A small handful have been to all 50 iterations, which is super cool,” said Andrew MacLeay, program director of NHSCOT, which organizes the games each year. “When we started it back in ’75, there were about 800 people who attended, and that was considered a big success. … We’ve come all the way now to where we have over 45,000 people come over the three days.”

This year, the celebration gets louder. Organizers are attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the largest single bagpiping performance