And the Great Canadian Kilt Skate Capital is…

The Great Canadian Kilt Skate from Coast to Coast in 2023

It was an exceptional Kilt Skate season especially coming off the pandemic. For the first time ever the Great Canadian Kilt Skate spanned coast to coat from A to V: Antigonish to Vancouver. All organized by dedicated community volunteers. We enjoyed helping out too.

Contact our National Kilt Skate Director, Andy MacCulloch for additional information and details on how to get involved at kiltskate@ottscot.ca.

The Home Edition returns in 2024!

You don’t have to join an organized community event to be a kilt skater. In 2020, when the COVID protocols prohibited large gatherings, we introduced the Home Edition where individuals, families and small groups sent us photos of their own, socially-distanced Kilt Skate. Thank you to the hundreds of skaters who took to the ice and used their creativity skating on ponds, community rinks, lakes, canals, creeks and even frozen roads. In 2022, we saw first time participation from new areas in Canada including Orillia, Mauricie, Victoria Harbour and Regina to mention a few. The Home Edition will remain a feature of the Great Canadian Kilt Skate for years to come.

It’s time to #TartanUp for the 2024 Kilt Skate season! Get active, celebrate your Scottish heritage in kilts and tartans, and join the fun!

Post your photos to your social media accounts using #kiltskate2024 #OttScot #TartanUp

ottawa

On Sunday February 19th the Scottish Society of Ottawa conducted our 9th Annual Great Canadian Kilt Skate at Lansdowne Park outdoor skate rink. It was a Balmy +3 which partly explains why the Rideau Canal Skateway remained closed. In addition to over 30 kilted skaters, we had several VIP’s for our opening ceremony including: Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Councillor Laura Dudas, John Devine, Head of Scottish Affairs Canada, and Lieutenant Colonel Gord Scharf Commanding Officer of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa. In addition to skating, free hot chocolate, courtesy of Boccato’s Gelato and Crepes, Nairns Fruit and Seed biscuits, sponsored by Nairn’s Canada, sponsored IrnBru, bagpipers, and Scottish music.

COMMUNITY EVENTS 2023

antigonish, nova scotia

The Antigonish Highland Society renowned for their highland games launched their first Kilt Skate and did not disappoint. Society President Joe MacDonald joined by Michelle Thompson of the Nova Scotia’s Legislative Assembly opened the event in Antigonish Arena. Great fun was had featuring pipers, highland dancers and kilted skaters young and old. Looks like this is the start of a fun new winter tradition out on the Atlantic Canada coast. Organizer Geraldine said ”we want to make it bigger and better next year.”

Brampton, ontario

Bill Petrie President of CASSOC brought the first ever kilt skate to Gage Park in Brampton. It was a beautiful spring like February day. Clan Gregor was very much in evidence but so were other kilt skaters and of course a piper.

Calgary, alberta

Calgary is another founding Kilt Skate community and held their kilt skate as part of the Chinook Winter Festival. Warm Chinook weather blessed the event which is so unique in being right downtown amongst the office towers. There was also highland dancing and live music. Over 200 cups of hot chocolate was served.

Concord, New Hampshire

A wee detour on the Great Canadian Kilt Skate. Concord had perfect weather for a kilt Skate on the pond at White Park. Lots of kilts, tartan and family fun not to mention cookies and hot chocolate.

Fergus, ontario

Fergus is another highland games community with deep Scottish roots and home of the Fergus Scottish Festival. They were entertained by the Blue Bonnet Lassies Highland dancers and the Fergus Pipe Band provided musical support. There was even been hot chocolate and cookies to greet tired skaters.

Lumsden, saskatchewan

J-P Bautista-Hunter took his experience kilt skating in the Home Edition and brought it to the community on Robbie Burns Day. Lots of fun and learning. He’s already thinking about next year. This is how many kilt skates start and it is a testimony to our Scottish entrepreneurial culture to want to build something.

montreal, quebec

The St Andrews Society of Montreal hosted their first kilt skate in 2015 and this veteran savvy had them decide to hold the skate indoors at the iconic Verdun Auditorium. Scottish flags on hockey sticks abound. It was all fun and then there were cupcakes.

moncton, new brunswick

Moncton also hosted its first kilt skate and PolarFest/ Festpolaire on Family Day weekend. It was supported by the Greater Moncton Scottish Association. It was a beautiful day for a skate and quite a few families turned up in kilts and tartans along with other skaters on the Muskrat Skating Trail. Looks like the start of something good.

North Glengarry, ontario

Like Antigonish Glengarry hosts a Highland Games making it a hotbed of Scottish culture. Glengarry is only about 75 kms from Ottawa. Like other cities Glengarry decided to hold the skate indoor at the Maxville Arena. This can have the additional benefit of allowing people to stay warm and go to a Ceilidh afterwards. So after a few turns around the rink skaters could go and watch great dancing and piping, and so they did. And the kids had fun with T-Rex and Picatou.

Quebec city, quebec

A first Kilt Skate on the historic Plains of Abraham honouring the flags of Canada, Scotland and Quebec with bagpipes and semi ceremonial loops of the large oval rink. The Fraser Highlanders played some bagpipe pieces along with contemporary Celtc music by Kilt Skate Director Andy and daughter Madison (also shown skating)

vancouver, british columbia

The first annual Vancouver Kilt Skate was held at the Shipyards Rink in North Vancouver. No Kilt Skate would be complete without the musical support of a piper.

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Winnipeg is a big kilt skate town and a founding community of Great Canadian Kilt Skate in 2015. It was a relatively balmy day sunny day at Riley Duck Pond in Assimiboine Park and 80 skates mostly in Kilts and tartan came out. The venerable Queens Own Highlanders came out in outfits looking more like a hockey team did play pipes well. Everybody had a great time. Click here to see Winnipeg as the Capital of the Kilt Skate!

GREAT CANADIAN KILT SKATE CAPITAL OF CANADA

Who will be the 2024 Great Canadian Kilt Skate™ capital of Canada? Individuals and families across Canada are encouraged to join us again in January 2024. We’re looking forward to this year’s Kilt Skate season and determining who will be proclaimed the 2024 Great Canadian Kilt Skate Capital of Canada! The winning city is determined by the number of participants and the number of submitted photos and videos, media pick up, and general promotion.

Congratulations to the 2023 Kilt Skate Capital of Canada: Winnipeg!

#ScotlandIsNow #kiltskate2024 #tartanup

History of the Great Canadian Kilt Skate

The Kilt Skate story began in 2015 with an idea to go out skating kilts at house party. The idea caught on and the next year the Scottish Society of Ottawa sponsored a skate on the Rideau canal.

For more info check out our video!