2026 Arizona Highland Celtic Festival

A two-day Celtic celebration will be held in Flagstaff at the Arizona Highland Celtic Festival, July 18th and 19th, 2026 at Ft. Tuthill County Park. It will include a two-day highland games competition hosted by the SAAA. The festival will include athletics, merchants, dancing, piping, food, and entertainment. For more information, please visit: www.nachs.info/celtic-festival/

Athletics Events

The competition will contest all 9 events:

• Braemar Stone

• Open Stone

• Heavy Weight for Distance

• Light Weight for Distance

• Caber

• Weight Over Bar

• Light Hammer

• Heavy Hammer

• Sheaf

Competition will begin at 9:00am each day with an athlete meeting held prior to the start.

Class Schedule

Saturday (07/18/26)

• Women’s A West Coast Championship

• Women’s A, B, and C

• Men’s Masters 40, 50, and 60

• Men’s Lightweight

Sunday (07/19/26)

• Men’s A West Coast Championship

• Men’s A, B, and C

• Men’s Novice

• Women’s Light Weight

• Women’s Masters 40, 50, and 60

West Coast Amateur Championship Details

We are excited to hold our second West Coast Amateur Championship in Flagstaff. If you are interested in the Men’s West Coast Amateur Championship, you must be an amateur athlete; no pro submissions will be accepted. For the Women’s West Coast Amateur: If you have competed at the Women’s World Championships in 2023, 2024, or 2025, you are ineligible for this class.

To indicate interest:

1. Contact athletic director Grant Leslie at gleslie@SAAA-national.org. Include your top marks in all 8 height/distance events and your largest caber from the 2025 season through June 22nd, 2026.  

2. Indicate your best finishing position and the name of that competition between January 1st, 2025 and June 13th, 2026.

Registration

Registration is $45 for SAAA members and $60 for non-members. The fee covers a games t-shirt, awards for top 3 finishers, judges, and equipment. Athletics are subject to the rules at saaa-national.org.