At its 8th Annual General Meeting on June 13, the Scottish Society of Ottawa (SSO) took steps to strengthen the coordination of the kilt skate phenomenon as it grows across Canada and internationally. As part of a new governance structure to renew and revitalize the SSO and to empower all of its directors, a Director of the National Great Canadian Kilt Skate will hold a position on the SSO’s board.
Read MoreThe last kilt skate of the 2020 season was held in Williamstown, in the Township of South Glengarry. The kilt skate combined with other indoor and outdoor events to create something new: a winter carnival with a Scottish heritage theme.
Read MoreAt just 31 days of skating, the 2020 season of the Rideau Canal Skateway has been among the shortest, but it’s been wonderful nonetheless. After returning from Dublin in early February, I managed to get out on the Skateway a total of 11 times. Now that I can look back on some wonderful times.
Read MoreThere are some advantages to hosting a kilt skate in the home of one of North America’s great Scottish festivals.
The Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games has been a major tourist attraction in central Ontario since 1946. They are preparing to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the festival by inaugurating a winter event: Fergus’s first annual Great Canadian Kilt Skate.
Read MoreFor its fourth annual kilt skate, Toronto decided to try something different: a partnership with the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies at their arena on the afternoon of their match-up with the Rochester Americans. The Marlies are an affiliate of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs; the Americans support the Buffalo Sabres. On game day, the Toronto fans were out in force — and ready for a good time, kilted an a’ that.
Read MoreWith temperatures on the plus side of zero, everyone could relax and enjoy the festive atmosphere — and a cup of hot chocolate..
Read MoreThis year, at least four of the young skaters were at the inaugural kilt skate to celebrate Sir John A Macdonald’s 200th birthday in 2015.
Read MoreWhen you have a kilt skate in the heart of Manhattan, the imagination tends to run vertical. Once again this year, the American-Scottish Foundation held its Second Annual Tartan Kilt Skate NYC in partnership with Bryant Park at the Bank of American Winter Village. Next door to the New York City Library, and a block from Grand Central Station, skaters weave around the rink where the skyline soars high above. This inspires some to make a great leap upward.
Read MoreCongratulations to the City of Lethbridge Culture and Recreation Department for running their second annual Great Canadian Kilt Skate. A hundred tartaned and kilted skaters showed up at the ATB Centre. Greg Bobinec of the Lethbridge Herald posted the following report. gbobinec@lethbridgeherald.com
Read MoreThey say that great oaks from tiny acorns grow. In Boston on Saturday, “bean town” sprouted the first shoot of a beanstalk that, given the strength of the Scottish community, should grow into a giant. Some 15 tartaned and kilted skaters came out the the Rink at 401 on a pleasant Saturday afternoon to enjoy the ice and celebrate their Scottish heritage.
Read MoreThe kilt skate phenomenon continues to grow. Tomorrow Boston, Massachusetts, will become the most recent city to celebrate Scottish culture with bare knees and ice.
Read MoreSince 1835, the St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal has been celebrating all things Scottish. Traditionally on January 25, this has included the birthday of Robbie Burns, Scotland’s national poet. This year, with Burns Day falling on a Saturday, the Society combined the event with its sixth annual Great Canadian Kilt Skate, celebrating Scotland’s contribution to Canada with bare knees and ice.
Read MoreThis was the second year in which Winnipeg held its kilt skate indoors. This proved more comfortable and reliable in a city where, some years, skaters braved temperatures of 40-below and another year the skate had to be cancelled because warm weather made the outdoor ice unsafe. Indoor events meant that skaters could eschew the need for warm clothing, and dress in whatever attire helped add to the festivities.
Read MoreAlthough the thermometer has been above freezing for most of the past weeks, in recent days, winter has come back with a vengeance. The morning of the kilt skate dawned with temperatures of minus-25 with the wind chill, and a blizzard forecast for that evening. But none of this stopped the intrepid skaters, many of whom have been coming out year after year ever since Ottawa hosted its first kilt skate to celebrate the bicentennial of Sir John A. Macdonald in 2015.
Read MoreLast year, kilt skating as a way to celebrate Scottish culture crossed the international border with the inaugural Tartan Kilt Skate NYC. On Sir John A. Macdonald’s 205th birthday this year, the phenomenon jumped across the Atlantic with Tartan Kilt Skate Dublin. With family and friends cheering them on, a small but enthusiastic group gathered on ice, with more family and friends cheering them on.
Read MoreAnd today, on Sir John A. Macdonald Day, we’re pleased to announce the latest addition to the kilt skate family. The town of Fergus, Ontario, will hold its first kilt skate on Sunday, February 16, at the Centre Wellington Sportsplex. Check the events page for more details. The kilt skate is being organized by the Fergus Scottish Festival which has been celebrating Scottish culture and hosting Highland games since 1946.
Read MoreDUBLIN, January 9, 2020. Ahead of the first-ever Tartan Kilt Skate Dublin, scheduled for Saturday, January 11, the managers of South Dublin On Ice have offered a price discount to “anyone wearing a kilt or tartan who acts any way Canadian.”
Read MoreThe first-ever “Tartan Kilt Skate – Dublin” will take place at South Dublin on Ice, Tallaght Stadium, on Saturday, January 11, from 8 p.m. The date is significant, says Canadian organizer Don Cummer. “It’s the 205th birthday of Sir John A. Macdonald, the architect of Canada’s Confederation and our first Prime Minister. Years ago, we began celebrating his birthday at my home in Ottawa by skating on the Rideau Canal. Now the kilt skate has gone international.”
Read MoreAcross Canada, communities will vie for the title of “Kilt Skate Capital of Canada” awarded by the website www.kiltskate.com. Last year, the laurels went to Glengarry – two townships in Eastern Ontario that worked together to host a skate in the village of Maxville. In the summer, that town is noted for its annual Highland Games and North American Pipe Band Championships, estimated to be one of the largest Highland games in the world.
Read MoreEach year, we look forward to the Tutored Whisky Tasting that Emmett Hossack organizes on behalf of the Scottish Society of Ottawa (SSO). It’s held on the Sunday closest to the feast day of St. Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, and it serves as the launch of SSO’s two-month long Scottish Festival. This year, the weekend also corresponds with the opening of the City of Ottawa refrigerated outdoor rinks. Since the Lansdowne Skating Court. is just a few hundred yards from the tutored whisky tasting at Milestones Grill, it was also a perfect opportunity to begin this winter’s kilt skating.
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across canada, communities host kilt skates to celebrate scotland’s contribution to our multicultural fabric.
