The Stone Mountain Highland Games and Scottish Festival is held each October at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia. The 2026 festival weekend ran October 16 to 18. Friday activities were held at the host hotel, while the main Highland Games took place at Stone Mountain Park on Saturday, October 17, and Sunday, October 18. Clan societies set up tents across the grounds, where you can ask about surnames, septs, and Scottish history.
Our 2026 visit gave Deborah and me a chance to explore Scottish history through conversations at seven clan tents. We talked about my Fraser grandmother, discovered a clan association through Deborah’s grandfather, and shared whisky with a man planning his own Scottish journey.
Every clan we visited proudly talked about its history. Banners identified the clans, while books, tartan samples, surname lists, and historical charts gave us reasons to stop and ask questions. The representatives added the explanations that a photograph alone cannot preserve.
Two family names gave the visits particular meaning. My father’s mother was a Fraser. Deborah’s grandfather was a Dyess, but she had not known about that surname’s association with Clan Skene until she saw it on a poster at the Games.
Our photographs record seven different encounters. The short histories below provide context for what we saw, while the conversations explain why we remember these visits.
Clan Fraser: Saltoun and Lovat Under One Banner
The people at the Fraser tent were still setting up when we stopped. I chatted with a man there and asked whether any of the clan’s leadership would be attending. I also explained that my connection came through my father’s mother, who was a Fraser.
For me, this was a visit with a family connection already attached. A large blue banner bearing Saltoun at one end and Lovat at the other hung above the preparations. Those two names introduce an important distinction in Fraser history.
The official Clan Fraser of Lovat history records a Simon Fraser holding lands at Keith in East Lothian in 1160. Fraser families later spread through Scotland. By the fourteenth century, important northern groups had developed in Aberdeenshire and Inverness-shire, associated with the Philorth/Saltoun and Lovat histories respectively.
The banner brought those branches together over one tent, offering a useful starting point for visitors who know the Fraser name but are less familiar with its different lines.
Our Complete Guide to Clan Fraser introduces the branches and their Scottish places. Readers following a family connection can also explore Clan Fraser Genealogy: Lovat, Saltoun, and the Truth. My grandmother’s name gives me a personal reason to keep asking those questions.
Clan MacTavish: Dunardry and the Heritage of Argyll
Dr. Joe Cash gave us a friendly welcome at the MacTavish tent. Joe, the clan organization’s vice president, provided us with its newsletter, Non Oblitus. We could take that home and continue reading after our conversation ended.
The newsletter shares its name with the clan motto. Non Oblitus means “Not Forgotten,” a fitting expression for an organization preserving and sharing its heritage. At the Games, that work took the form of a welcome, a conversation, and a publication passed from one person to another.
MacTavish history centers on Dunardry in Knapdale, Argyll, in western Scotland. The ancestral seat connects the clan’s story with a specific landscape and the chiefly family associated with it.
Beside the tartan display, a separate panel listed associated family names. It gives visitors another way to begin exploring a possible connection.
The displays supplied the background, but Joe made the visit memorable. His friendliness and the newsletter gave us something more lasting than a quick stop for a photograph. They also showed how clan organizations carry their stories beyond the festival grounds.
Clan Skene: Deborah Discovers Her Dyess Connection
Deborah’s grandfather was a Dyess. Until our stop at the Skene tent, however, she had not known that the name had a clan association. She discovered it when she saw Dyess on a poster listing septs of Clan Skene. A sept is an associated family group.
Al McGalliard, the Clan Skene Association’s president, was at the tent to talk with her. What began with a name on a poster became a conversation about a family connection she had not expected to find.
Al told us he had served as president for about 25 years and that the association had a little over 100 members.
He also described a Scottish place associated with the name and a cemetery where, he said, many members of the family were buried. The Scottish parish and old churchyard use the spelling Dyce. We still need to establish which cemetery Al meant and investigate the burials he described.
Clan Skene’s history belongs to northeastern Scotland. The People of Medieval Scotland database records a charter of June 1, 1317, in which Robert the Bruce granted Robert Skene the lands and loch of Skene in free barony. The clan also preserves a traditional story about a young man saving a king from a wolf with his knife, or sgian. That dramatic account is a legend, distinct from the dated charter.
The Clan Skene Association’s membership information includes Dyess among its affiliated names. For Deborah, that surname provided the immediate connection. A name on a sept list shows an association, not proof of descent. Tracing her grandfather’s Dyess line through records is the next step toward learning how her own family fits into the wider story.
Clan Arthur: Loch Awe and the Children of Arthur
Jeff Perkins was at the Arthur tent, beneath a green banner carrying both Arthur and MacArthur. A nearby panel describes the clan as the children of Arthur, giving visitors an immediate introduction to the name.
Clan Arthur’s historical associations include Loch Awe in Argyll. Its official history describes support for Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Independence. It also records MacArthur communities beyond Loch Awe, including those of Islay, remembered as armorers, and those of Skye, remembered for piping.
Those regional connections give the clan story a wider scope than a single surname or ancestral seat. They introduce different communities, occupations, and traditions within western Scotland.
The tent’s panels gave us material to examine alongside the conversation. For someone beginning with the Arthur or MacArthur name, the places offer useful questions: which island or district appears in the family records, and what can its local history explain?
Jeff’s tent added another part of Scotland to our visits, with the green banner marking a story rooted in Loch Awe and extending into the islands.
Clan MacCallum/Malcolm: Two Names and an Argyll History
Both MacCallum and Malcolm appear across this tent’s banner. A representative stood before books, printed material, and tartan-covered tables. The paired names introduce the historical question that makes this clan distinctive: why are they presented together?
The clan’s history is rooted in Argyll, including Lorne and Poltalloch. Clan accounts connect the names with Columba and Gaelic naming traditions. They record that Donald, son of Gillespie, received title to Poltalloch in 1562, and that the chiefly family later adopted the name Malcolm in the eighteenth century.
The two names therefore belong together in the history of the Poltalloch family. Across the Atlantic, the Clan MacCallum-Malcolm Society of North America began in 1971, founded by Andrew McCallum at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.
At Stone Mountain, the shared banner and the material beneath it brought that history into a setting where visitors could ask about it. The people at this tent were as glad to share their clan’s past as everyone else we met.
The stop offered an example of how a family’s name can change while later generations continue to preserve the history connecting the names.
Clan MacRae: Leon’s History Lesson and the Story of Kintail
Leon Folsom gave us a history lesson at the MacRae tent, focusing on battles involving the clan. His account brought a military emphasis to our conversation and added another perspective to the family histories we were hearing.
MacRae history is closely associated with Kintail in the western Highlands and with service to the Mackenzies. Clan histories remember that loyalty through the description of the MacRaes as the Mackenzies’ “shirt of mail.” That expression helps explain the prominence of alliances and fighting in accounts of the clan.
Eilean Donan provides another important MacRae connection. Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap restored the ruined castle between 1912 and 1932, working with the stonemason Farquhar MacRae. Farquhar is said to have seen the rebuilt castle in a dream.
Books and papers on the table behind Leon provided background to the visit. His explanation gave us a person to associate with the clan’s history.
Clan Stewart: A Scotland Travel Conversation and a Shared Dram
The Stewart tent brought together Scottish history, future travel, and hospitality. Tony was planning a trip to Scotland, but he had never organized one before. He told me he felt a little nervous about traveling without a tour group.
I suggested the Ireland & Scotland Itinerary Reality Checker on irishscottishroots.blog. Tony opened the blog and checked it out while we were there. He was grateful for the suggestion and invited me to join him for a dram.
I accepted. We went to the rear of the tent, enjoyed some fine Scottish whisky, and chatted for about 20 minutes. The invitation gave us time to continue the conversation away from the displays at the front of the tent.
Behind that personal encounter sits a substantial Scottish history. The Stewart name developed from the office of High Steward of Scotland. Walter, the sixth High Steward, married Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert the Bruce. Their son became Robert II in 1371, beginning the Stewart royal dynasty.
The historical charts at the tent introduced that larger story. Our conversation with Tony brought it into the present through his plans to visit Scotland. The shared whisky gave us time to talk beyond the initial exchange, making this a fitting encounter with which to close our clan visits.
What Seven Clan Tents Gave Us
Each representative shared a different part of Scotland’s story. Joe gave us a newsletter to read at home. Leon explained battles. The Fraser tent connected with my grandmother, while Deborah found her grandfather’s surname on the Skene poster. At the Stewart tent, a travel question led to whisky and a longer conversation.
Our photographs will help us remember whom we met. Deborah’s discovery gives us something to investigate together, and the conversations give those pictures stories we can pass on.
The most valuable part of visiting a clan tent is not simply finding a familiar surname. It is meeting people who can point you toward historical records, regional histories, clan publications, and research organizations. Our visit reminded us that a conversation can open another chapter in a family history investigation.
Tips for Visiting Clan Tents at the Stone Mountain Highland Games
If you plan to visit the clan tents at the Stone Mountain Highland Games, a little preparation helps you get more from each conversation.
- Bring a short list of your family surnames and the places your ancestors came from.
- Photograph the sept and surname panels so you can check the names later.
- Ask whether the clan society has a newsletter, a genealogist, or a DNA project.
- Treat a sept listing as a lead, not proof of descent.
Our beginner’s guide to Irish and Scottish clan research explains how to test a clan connection through family records.
The Highland Games require their own admission ticket, and the park’s vehicle-entry or parking pass is a separate charge. Check the official Stone Mountain Highland Games website for current dates, tickets, and schedules before you book.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Games are held each October at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia. The 2026 festival weekend ran October 16 to 18. Friday activities were at the host hotel, and the main park Games took place October 17 and 18. Check the official website for future dates.
Yes. Highland Games tickets and Stone Mountain Park vehicle-entry or parking passes are separate purchases. Check the official websites for current charges.
You can ask about surnames and septs, see tartans and clan histories, pick up newsletters, and learn about membership. Representatives often explain where the clan’s lands were in Scotland.
Not necessarily. A sept list shows names a clan society associates with it. You still need family records to show how your own line connects.
Start with clan society surname lists, then check them against your family records. Visiting clan tents at a Highland Games is a good way to ask questions in person.
Explore More
For more Scottish gatherings worth building a trip around, see our guide to Irish and Scottish festivals worth planning a trip around. To find upcoming events, check our Highland Games and Celtic festivals calendar.
Sources
- Stone Mountain Highland Games and Scottish Festival: Official website
- Stone Mountain Park: Highland Games
- Clan Fraser of Lovat: Early Frasers
- People of Medieval Scotland: Robert I charter to Robert Skene, 1317
- Clan Skene Association: Membership
- Clan Arthur: History
- Grandfather Mountain Highland Games: Clan MacCallum/Malcolm
- Clan MacCallum-Malcolm Society of North America
- Highland Historic Environment Record: Eilean Donan Castle
- Canmore: Eilean Donan Castle
- Dundonald Castle: The First High Steward of Scotland
About the Author
Terry Donlan is the founder of Irish Scottish Roots and has researched his Irish and Scottish family history since 1985. He has made six research trips to Ireland and Scotland. He writes about genealogy, heritage travel, historical records, and the people and places that shaped Irish and Scottish family stories.
Photographs in this article are from the Donlan Family private collection.
The featured image is AI-generated conceptual artwork created for Irish Scottish Roots. It is not a photograph of the 2026 clan tents or attendees.
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