Annual Highland Village summer concert celebrates 65 years

Highland Village brings in Rankin MacInnis & The Broken Reeds as headliners

Just picture it: last year more than 1,500 people gathered on a grassy hillside in beautiful and picturesque Iona to celebrate Highland Village Day, continuing a tradition that has become a highlight of the Cape Breton summer calendar. This year, Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village Museum again invites the public to come and celebrate now 65 years of music, culture, and community at the annual Highland Village Day concert on Aug. 1, from 2-6 p.m. This year, the Highland Village Museum is excited to showcase Rankin MacInnis & The Broken Reeds as headliners.

It will be one of only two opportunities to see the group perform live in Cape Breton this summer. Additional Highland Village Day performers and tributes will be announced in the coming weeks on the museum’s social-media accounts. In addition to the concert, visitors are encouraged to explore the museum grounds and exhibits throughout the day as well as stay for one of Cape Breton’s most beloved outdoor ceilidhs.

The museum suggests visitors dress for the weather, pack a lawn chair, gather the family and friends and spend the afternoon enjoying outstanding live music, community, and Cape Breton hospitality. The Highland Village is a living history museum and cultural centre created in 1959 that celebrates and preserves the Gaelic language, culture, and heritage of Nova Scotia. Located in Iona, the 43-acre site overlooks the Bras d’Or Lake and features historic buildings, costumed animators, and immersive experiences that interpret life in Nova Scotia’s Gaelic-speaking communities from the late 1700s to the early 1900s.

Tickets are $20 and available at the gate. Children under 12 are admitted free. IF YOU GO What: Annual Highland Village Day at Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village Museum Where: 4119 Highway 223, Iona, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

When: Sat. Aug. 1, 2-6 p.m.

Why: Entertainment by a variety of performers headlined by Rankin MacInnis & The Broken Reeds Bring: lawn chairs, cameras Cost: $20 Extra: Be sure to visit the Highland Village Gift Shop featuring a selection of Cape Breton, Gaelic and East Coast music, Gaelic resources, books, Highland Village souvenirs, clothing, giftware, local crafts, jewelry and much more. They ship what they sell! Rosemary Godin is the Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for the Cape Breton Post, a position funded by the federal government.