One of Australia’s longest-running celebrations of Scottish culture will return this Easter, with the Maclean Highland Gathering marking its 121st year and welcoming internationally renowned solo piper Willie McCallum for the first time.
Thousands of spectators are expected to attend the 2026 event, with McCallum set to perform a special public recital on Saturday, April 4 at 7.30pm at the former Maclean Services Club.
The Maclean Highland Gathering will be held on Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4, celebrating Scottish Highland culture with more than 500 competitors taking part in events including solo piping, Highland dancing, pipe bands and traditional Highland sports.
Lower Clarence Scottish Association chief Peter Smith said organisers were looking forward to welcoming visitors back to Maclean for the annual gathering.
“We are really looking forward to a big weekend in Maclean this Easter, catching up with old friends and welcoming new visitors to the Gathering and to our town,” he said.
“We have a small but very active committee and a wonderful team of volunteers who help to bring it all together.”
Spectators can expect a packed program across the two days, including competitions such as the caber toss, log wrestling, putting the stone and the kilted dash, with more than 10 Highland sports events scheduled for both women and men.
McCallum comes from a family with a long history of champion pipers and has won almost every major piping award, many of them several times over.
The McCallum family can trace their piping lineage back to John McAlister, who won the prize pipe in 1782 at the Falkirk Tryst in Scotland. A native of Kintyre and competing professionally since 1973, McCallum has enjoyed multiple Pipe Band Championship wins and has worked with some of the most successful Pipe Majors in pipe band history.
He has performed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle and regularly for His Majesty King Charles III. McCallum will also join a panel of international judges from the United Kingdom and New Zealand presiding over this year’s competitions.
Organisers from the Lower Clarence Scottish Association expect spectator numbers to exceed 5,000 this year, with pipe bands travelling from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to compete.
More than 130 solo pipers and drummers are expected to take part, along with around 70 Highland dancers travelling from across Australia as well as New Zealand and Canada.
One of the highlights of the weekend will be the traditional street parade along River Street at 8.30am on Saturday, April 4, which is expected to attract large crowds. The weekend will also feature an en masse performance from all competing pipe bands at 4pm.
Long-time supporter and Grafton bagpiper Dr Alastair McInnes said the gathering has been part of his life for decades.
Dr McInnes has attended the event almost every year for the past 60 years and is himself a 13-time winner of the James McSwan Memorial Gold Medal.
He likened the gathering to a religious festival, saying “you’re reborn again” after attending.
Despite growing into one of Australia’s leading Scottish cultural events, Dr McInnes said the gathering has retained the spirit that made it special.
“The people are what make it so special. It’s a culture that’s worth preserving.”
The Maclean Highland Gathering will take place at the Maclean Showground on Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4. Tickets and further information are available via the event website.
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