Scottish Festival Goch

Scotland in the Castle Climate of the Lower Rhine

The Lower Rhine is a region with mild climates and surprising cultural diversity. The Scottish Festival in Goch is one of the most original cultural activities in this region: a full-fledged Scottish festival with international competition level, in a German medium-sized town in the Kleve district. The organiser is the Scottish Cultural Association Xanten e.V., which has kept Scottish culture alive in the region since 2008.

International-Level Pipe Band Championships

The centrepiece of the festival is the pipe band competitions. Bands from Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and of course Germany compete against each other in different classes. 8 to 12 players per band — bagpipes, drums, in Highland wear (kilt, sporran, glengarry). The sound of a multi-band marching formation at full strength is one of the most impressive experiences of the festival — rarely heard anywhere else in Germany.

Solo Competitions and Highland Games

Alongside the bands, solo competitions for pipers and drummers take place — high concentration, technical precision. In parallel, the Heavy Highland Games are held: caber toss, hammer throw, stone put, sheaf toss over the bar. Men and women in kilts compete in several weight classes. For children, there are Mini Highland Games — a simplified version with smaller equipment.

Xanten, Goch and the Lower Rhine Programme

The Scottish Cultural Association Xanten organises a year-round programme: Burns Night around January 25th in honour of the Scottish national poet Robert Burns, whisky tastings, travel lectures, cultural Scotland evenings. The festival in Goch is the highlight — the event that makes the association visible to the outside world. Goch — a town of 35,000 inhabitants in the Kleve district, North Rhine-Westphalia — offers the ideal stage with its town park.

Kenya Team and Charity Dimension

A special feature: Since 2016, the association has supported the Kenya Team at the Stiftsgymnasium Xanten — an initiative that builds educational partnerships between German and Kenyan schools. Raffles, auctions, and collections at the festival weekend directly benefit this project. Thus, besides its cultural function, the festival also has a charitable dimension that is appreciated in the region.