Longs Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival 2025

[Donna Pierce]

Dear Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Town of Estes Park, 

We are former Estes Park residents and have been enjoying ScotFest since the 1980s. 

When making plans for lodging and restaurants that first week of September, we started wondering about the Parade, because neither my sons, who march in the Parade with their Clan, nor I could find any mention of the Parade on www.scotfest.com. (Curiously, info noting Parade cancellation suddenly appeared far down on the main website page, shortly after I called the Town a few days ago to inquire.)

The Parade is our favorite part of ScotFest, and we were so disappointed to hear it was cancelled, again, this year, after the Parade was cancelled last year for the Elkhorn construction project.

My sons and their father dug deeper and learned from another Clan member that, "Yes, it's true. I talked to Peggy Woodward who runs the festival and she said the city wanted to charge them to shut down the street and pay for the Police which I guess was a pretty big expense. She told me that unless they could get a sponsor, they couldn't afford it. I heard that the shop owners along the route were very upset. I noticed last year the attendance was way down and a lot of us believe it was because there wasn't a parade."

We have cancelled our lodging and will not be spending any money in Estes Park that week.

Estes Park is billed by the ScotFest as the "Celtic Capitol of North America." As has been the tradition all these years, the Town of Estes Park could have collaborated with Festival organizers to make the Parade happen, instead of fussing over money that the Town can surely designate. (A while back when meeting with a Town staff member, I was shown a pie chart indicating the largest slice by far was income from visitors frequenting Town businesses.)

Anyway, I do not know what the Town was thinking in not supporting the wonderful, well-loved and much-anticipated ScotFest Parade. A misjudgement for sure.

We are deeply saddened and disappointed. 

Donna Pierce & Family

[Gary Hall]

Donnie, thanks for the note. I’ve been involved in this also, and have spoken to Peggy, and I also love the parade. I intend to use my voice to try to amplify the need for a sponsor so that there’d be a better chance of a parade next year. 

When I dug into the issue, I found that the Town provides a very substantial amount of support, over $100,000 worth, of in-kind services, which involved a big amount of people time, equipment, and more. At the same time, the economy and other factors have been resulting in lower Town revenues for a series of years. Peggy could clarify, but I believe that attendance was dropping in the years before the parade was put on hiatus. 

This is an operational decision by the staff of the Town. yes, the board could always consider interceding, but as much as I miss the parade, the Town does have to consider all of the other services, staff, equipment, events, and more that it supports as the economic forces continue to put on the squeeze. There are other factors that play in to this, also

You’ll hear more from me about this in public as time goes on. Thanks for the note and I’m sorry you won’t be here for the event, I expect that it will still be a wonderful gathering, and I’ll certainly be there.  

Gary M. Hall

Mayor of the Town of Estes Park

Office phone: 970-577-3706

Email: gh...@estes.org

[Donna Pierce]

It's 'Donna.'

That seems to me a minimal investment for the return = lots of money spent by happy visitors, especially at Elkhorn businesses. 

And what about all the other events? 

Winter Fest, Wine & Chocolate Festival, Whiskey Warm Up, Bigfoot Days, Wool Market, Jazz Fest, Rooftop Rodeo (in partnership with Western Heritage, Inc.), Elk Fest, Rocky Mountain Craft Spirits Festival, and the Catch the Glow Parade

Yes, we know that ScotFest is a wonderful gathering, having attended for over 40 years. And without the Parade, we will not make the long drive from Southern Colorado.

Perhaps if the Town marketed the event as much as the others, to areas across the State of Colorado, and earlier in the year, attendance would grow. 

Donna

The Town of Estes Park is committed to providing accessible information and services. If you need any accommodations to view or interact with this email, please reply with your request or contact me at the phone number listed above.

[Gary Hall]

Spellcheck must have grabbed me, I was thinking Donna, since I know you. My fat Fingers. Neuropathy. Apologies. A lot of people (or their spellcheck) type me as "Gray". Which is accurate. 

I've stressed to VEP that they need to market those long-time keystone events, especially the summer ones, we don't want to lose ground, and I'll continue to ask them to keep those efforts ramped. 

Some events are Town-sponsored, some are private. That changes the fundings and dynamics. 

Thanks, Donna, for the suggestions. 

Gary M. Hall

Mayor of the Town of Estes Park

Office phone: 970-577-3706

Email: gh...@estes.org

[Donna Pierce]

Sorry about the neuropathy, I may have it in my feet. Getting old is not fun, but we keep on moving!

Well, thanks for responding, Gary, I appreciate it. I am just so sad about the Parade. 😞 To me, it holds much more value than the boozy events.

David and I are pondering moving back to Estes. We moved when two family members were diagnosed with terminal cancer. I left dear friends and part of my heart up there.

Donna

[Mark Igel]

Mrs Pierce,

Thanks for your patience, I received your comments. This topic has come up before and is on my mind as we prioritize funding and the "look and feel" of the Town of Estes Park. The Scotfest is a private event and the decision making is out of the Towns hands, that being said there are opportunities for Town support. I appreciate you taking time to contact us with this perspective, thank you.

Mark Igel, Trustee

Town of Estes Park  |  PO Box 1200  |  Estes Park, Colorado 80517

www.estes.org
Direct voice mail: 970-577-3713

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On Fri, Aug 8, 2025 at 6:35 PM Donna Pierce <maetreeh...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Donna Pierce]

Hi Mark, 

I follow Estes Valley Area Road Reports and 'see' you there. 

The Parade is signature Estes Park, and funding shoud be prioritized in support, as it always has. The Parade is very good for the town and businesses.

The fact that the Parade has happened all these years, and now suddenly it cannot happen, just does not sit well.

My sons were very excited to march with their MacKay clan again this year, after the parade was cancelled last year. We are all disappointed. 

Donna

[Donna Pierce]

For 49 years, the Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival has been a cherished September tradition in Estes Park, celebrating Celtic culture with vibrant music, spirited ethnic dancing, iconic bagpipe bands, thrilling Scottish Highland athletics, and representatives of numerous clans.

In the early 1970s, Estes Park, like many mountain towns, relied heavily on summer tourism, which typically ended with Labor Day. Recognizing September’s breathtaking beauty and mild weather, the festival’s founder Dr. James Durward a Estes Park resident envisioned a way to extend the fall season. With this vision, the Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival was born, offering visitors a reason to gather in the valley long after summer’s close.

Over the decades, this festival has grown into the most attended event in Estes Park, a testament to its cultural significance and enduring appeal.

[Gary Hall]

A very good statement, Donna. It is a cultural touchpoint, and I happen to really enjoy it. It is a private event and is funded in-kind with facilities and services to a value of over $100,000 by the Town. This is grandfathered in just for the Festival because of it's cultural value, the Town does not support other private events to any degree.  There are so many other critical priorities with water plants and police department and stormwater management and keeping the roads and electric lines and all, that there are limits to what can be supported by the limited budget and staff. 

I completely agree how wonderful and historic this event is, and I love what Peggy does with it to keep the tradition alive. She and I have discussed these same issues. Take care. 

 

Gary M. Hall

Mayor of the Town of Estes Park

Office phone: 970-577-3706

Email: gh...@estes.org