A bumper crowd of over 9,000 people turned up at Bught Park on Saturday to take in the City of Inverness Highland Games.
Times may change and new forms of entertainment might be devised, but these traditional pursuits proved they remain highly popular.
Games chieftain, provost Helen Carmichael, was among those who were thrilled at the eclectic range of events on the programme.
She said: “Our Games Weekend has been a great success thanks to the tremendous support that we have received from all sections of our community in the months leading up to the show.
“We have been delighted to welcome visitors from all over the world and once again our Games has delivered a much appreciated and significant boost to our city’s profile and economy.”
The proceedings began on Friday evening on Inverness High Street, where over 2,000 people congregated to enjoy performances from the City of Inverness Pipe Band; Fraser School of Highland Dancing and the ever popular Wheelbarrow Grand Prix, before parading across Ness Bridge to the Northern Meeting Park for the 2018 Highlands Strongest Man and Strongest Woman Championships.
In unfavourable weather, the hardy spectators who had gathered were entertained to an exciting and intense competition, with Nicki Innes prevailing victorious with the Strongest Woman’s title, and Jamie Gorrian securing the men’s accolade.
On Saturday, the rain stayed away for spells, allowing for a fun-filled day for the huge crowd. Over 400 people participated in the opening ceremony’s mass fling – the largest the games has ever seen – with kind-hearted locals taking part to raise funds for three-year-old Sam Douglas, who requires specialist medical care.
The heavy events proved one of the day’s biggest attractions, with competitors travelling from across the globe to chance their arm at becoming the Inverness Highland Games Champion.
Despite fierce competition, Jamie Gunn displayed a fine showing to take the prize after being pushed hard by US athlete John Odden for the majority of the proceedings.
Film crews involved with the US Discovery Channel’s Expedition Unknown and Italian TV show The Alternative Olympics entertained crowds with presenters, Josh Gates and Matteo Nicoletta, enjoying a crash course in becoming a Highland Heavy.
New additions to the games programme saw the addition of a Show and Shine Inverness car show, organised by 2K Custom, featuring over 100 cars and a series of races for under-fives took place for the first time.
