What’s happening?
Mackay will host the 2026 Queensland Highland Dancing Championships and the 2026 Scottish National Dance Premierships on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 March 2026 at Mackay Northern Beaches High School Performing Arts Centre.
The championships began in Mackay in 1962 and have rotated across Far North Queensland every year since.
“It started in Mackay in 1962 and it’s travelled all around Far North Queensland ever since,” said Jackie Wilson, PRESIDENT of the Far North Queensland Regional Committee of Highland Dancing Inc.
Around 100 to 120 competitors, along with families and supporters, are expected to attend from Far North Queensland and across Australia.
Local dancers from International Dance Affair and Ceili Dance Studio will compete, while the Mackay Highland Dancing Association will hold its annual Highland Dancing Competition alongside the Championships and Premierships.
The event is free and open to the community.
Why it matters
The Far North Queensland region spans from Mackay to Mossman and west to Mount Isa.
“That’s how big we are,” Ms. Wilson said, describing the scale of the region behind the event.
Scottish heritage remains strong in Mackay. The town was named after Scottish explorer John Mackay in the 1860s. By the early 20th century, Scots had established a strong presence.
The Mackay and District Pipe Band was formed in 1911, and the Caledonian Society became a key social institution.
“The Scottish heritage in Mackay is huge,” she said.
That influence continues today through events such as Bluewater Fling, run by the Caledonian Society, featuring bagpipes and Highland dancers.
Local impact
Hosting the championships returns the event to its birthplace.
It also places Mackay at the centre of a regional network that stretches across northern Queensland.
The region currently includes the second-place juvenile world championship winner, who claimed her title in Scotland last year and now lives in Townsville.
She is of Indigenous heritage and was photographed in Scotland wrapped in the Indigenous flag over her tartan.
“What happens is the winners actually do a lap of the field at the Highland Gathering at the noon,” Ms. Wilson explained.
The image of her wrapped in the Indigenous flag highlights the evolving face of Highland Dancing in Queensland.
The region also has dancers now resident in Scotland who are performing at military tattoos, including the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2004 and 2009.
By the numbers
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1962 marks the year the Queensland Highland Dancing Championships began in Mackay before rotating annually across Far North Queensland.
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100 to 120 competitors are expected in Mackay in March 2026, travelling with families and supporters from across Queensland and Australia.
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One regional body spans from Mackay to Mossman and west to Mount Isa, making it one of the largest Highland Dancing regions in Queensland.
Zoom in
Organisers have confirmed they will share official imagery, including a photo of two champions standing in front of the Queensland Highland Dancing Championship banner.
The image reflects the long history of the event and its return to Mackay in 2026.
Local studios will compete alongside visiting dancers, bringing together generations of performers on one stage.
Zoom out
Highland Dancing in Queensland connects local communities with Scotland and the wider world.
With competitors performing at international events and world championships, the pathway from regional Queensland to Scotland is real.
The 2026 championships show how a tradition that began in Mackay in 1962 continues to grow across the state and beyond.
What to look for next?
Organisers will release further historical details and imagery in the lead-up to March 2026.
For now, Mackay residents can mark 21 and 22 March 2026 for a free weekend celebrating Scottish culture and elite Highland Dancing.
