Community Events and the People's Park |…

Tha cùisean a’ gluasad — Things move on

Cruaidh-chas sna 1930an — Hard times in the 1930s

The 1930s were not good years for the Northern Meeting Games. A mixture of bad weather, the economy, and other problems led to a drop in spectators and financial losses. After attempts to save the Games, the Northern Meeting Society decided to cancel the 1939 Games, even before the outbreak of WWII in August that year.

After the war, with the economic outlook even more uncertain, the Society decided not to re-start the Games. It was able, however, to successfully re-start the Northern Meeting Piping Competitions in 1946.

Pàirc nan daoine —The people’s Park

With no need for a Games venue the northern meeting SoC sold the park to Inverness town council in 1946. Local schools and sports clubs could still use it, and Highland Games have continued to be held from time to time, including special games marking the Park’s 150th anniversary in 2014.

However, the change in ownership also saw the rise of special events organised by the local community. Many Invernessians — and visitors — have fond memories of the long-running Kilt is our Delight show, the Inverness Tattoo, the Marymas Fair, Armed Forces Day events, and pipe band competitions. Highland dancing has been a proud tradition at the Park for generations — read about the remarkable life of Edith MacPherson, a prizewinning Highland dancer, piper and well-known dancing teacher in Inverness.

There have also been lots of memorable one-off events - including the exciting 1976 Highland-Selkirk rugby match which saw Highland Rugby Club promoted to the Scottish First Division; the Olympic torch’s visit in 2012, the celebration of Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club’s Scottish Cup win in 2015, and concerts and festivals of all kinds.

Marymas Fair

Marymas Fair, c.1993

Marymas Fair, 2006

Scottish country dancing at the Marymas Fair, 2006

Am Paillean a chaidh a sealladh! — The Pavilion which disappeared!

The pavilion at the west end of the Park was demolished in the early 1950s. In 1949, the Town Council had sold it to Inverness Thistle Football Club who were supposed to dismantle the building and level the site. However, it seems that they just took the bits they wanted to use in their football ground (across the river, in the Crown area of Inverness), leaving the Council with a big clear-up job. In 2025, a new pavilion was built on the site of the old West Pavilion.