Mike Chisholm can picture it now.
At the newly rebranded TD Community Plaza, in Coquitlam Town Centre Park, the pipe and drum bands will play on the concrete stage.
To its side and a bit north, the Highland dancers will perform in the natural amphitheatre overlooking Lafarge Lake.
Up on the hill will be the vendors, cultural tents and beer garden while, to the east, where the BMX track is currently located, the heavy events such as caber tossing will prevail.
It’s been a dream in the making for a couple of years and Chisholm, a Coquitlam resident who chairs the annual BC Highland Games and Scottish Festival, hopes to make it a reality by next year — with the city’s help.
For nearly 30 years the attraction, which typically draws up to 10,000 visitors to Town Centre Park, has called the Percy Perry Stadium home; however, with the south plaza space now opening up for more events and activities, Chisholm believes it’s time to get ready for a permanent move.
Friday night will be the test.
Then, the festival’s piobaireachd competition — a contest featuring eight solo pipers from as far afield as Michigan — will perform classical works on the outdoor plaza stage (the event, starting at 5 p.m., is free to the public).
But that’s it for now.
“We want to see how things work out before we commit,” said Chisholm, a piper with the Rocky Mountaineer train tours who tested the plaza for sound last week.
Still, the festivities’ official kick off on Friday night will remain at Percy Perry Stadium, where organizers will host a ceilidh beer garden featuring the music duo Ruckus Deluxe.
And, on Saturday, Chisholm said visitors can expect the usual Scottish fare all day — with a few multicultural twists: the Obinana Taiko Drummers and the Royal Academy of Bhangra will mix it up on the main track with the Shot of Scotch Highland Dancers.
“The fusion is what makes this festival very entertaining and welcoming,” he said.
Officially opening at noon, with a cannon blast from the 78th Fraser Highlanders, the Coquitlam games lands right in the middle of the Pacific Northwest competition circuit for the pipers, drummers and dancers — many of whom started the touring schedule in April, in Surrey.
For the SFU Pipe Band, a Grade 1 ensemble that has consistently ranked high internationally for years, it’s another stop as they prepare for the worlds, in August in Glasgow (another Grade 1 group, the Port Coquitlam-based Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band, won’t be at the BC Highland Games as they’re at the UK Championships this week).
Chisholm said he looks forward to the day when the competitors can showcase their talent on the grassy area around the plaza, as the stadium track can heat up.
And he appreciates the city’s support in making the relocation happen: Last night (Monday), council awarded a $65,000 Spirit of Coquitlam grant to the non-profit society for its 2019 event.
“The stadium has been great but it’s time to move on to a place that’s more conducive for a festival atmosphere,” Chisholm said.
• Sponsored in part by The Tri-City News, the BC Highland Games and Scottish Festival runs Friday night with the piobaireachd competition at TD Community Plaza and the kick off ceilidh at Percy Perry Stadium. The main events are on Saturday at the stadium. Visit bchighlandgames.com for tickets and the schedule. Corporate sponsorship is also sought.
