The 46th Orillia Scottish Festival brought thousands of people to Couchiching Beach Park on Saturday.
Sounds of pipes and drums echoed through downtown Orillia as 10 bands marched past the Port of Orillia.
Co-chair Angela Paylor says the "family event" honours Scottish culture.
"There's something for everyone at the Scottish festival," she said. "It was lovely seeing such a big crowd on Mississaga Street for the parade."
While some event attendees are celebrating their Scottish heritage this weekend, Paylor says others are curious about the culture.
"I've had people come up and ask me about my skirt," she said with a chuckle. "I tell them it's a kilt and tell them how it's related to a clan, and people become interested in learning more."
Now that four decades have passed since the inception of the event, Paylor says generations of families have enjoyed the festivities.
"We've had people say that they came with their grandparents and now they are bringing their children," she said. "It's an annual tradition for a lot of people."
Due to construction on Lightfoot (then called Centennial) Drive, last year's festival took place at Tudhope Park. Paylor says it's good to be back in Couchiching Beach Park.
"So many of our participants are telling us how much they love this park for our festival," she said. "We've done a little rearranging of our layout this year and made it a little more intimate for the mass bands and opening ceremonies."
The festival was well supported this year by local businesses that sponsored the event. There are also about 50 community members who stepped up to volunteer.
"We completely rely on our volunteers. We would never be able to pull this day off without them," Paylor said.
The festival continues Sunday with the Kirkin o' the Tartan at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. There will also be a ceilidh at the Royal Canadian Legion. More information is available here.
