High turnout for return of Orillia Scottish Festival
There was a high turnout in the sunshine city this weekend for the big return of the Scottish festival.
On Sunday, the weekend-long event wrapped up with a cèilidh, which organizers say was sold out. Organizers describe a ceilidh as a big kitchen party, with live music, skits and dancing.
"The park was incredibly full. We had numbers we hadn't seen in a few years," says Carrie Dunn, one of the festival's co-chairs. "It was obviously something that people wanted to get back to, to have something to do."
On Saturday, thousands turned out to the waterfront for the festival, where a parade took place featuring nine pipe bands.
This marks the 44th year of the festival, and organizers say it's entrenched within the local community.
"When it first started 44 years ago, it was established by Duncan Flemming of the Orillia Pipe Band, and all the volunteers were very Scottish contingent," says Dunn. "Everybody had Scottish accents for the most part, and just over the years, it's grown that everybody who is Scottish by Scottish heritage or just wanted to participate, we call everybody Scottish who comes and joins the committee, by choice or not!"
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