The Highland Games kick off Thursday night at Grandfather Mountain and people from all over the world are coming to participate. 

Beverly Baker has been coming to the Highland Games in Avery County for 18 years. She and her husband sleep in a cargo trailer turned camper.

"He put in windows, [a] ceiling fan," Baker said.

What You Need To Know

  • The Highland Games kick off Thursday on Grandfather Mountain

  • The games will continue in Avery County all weekend

  • Organizers expect up to 30,000 people to head up the mountain for the games

They have everything they need, including friends that have become family. The campground even has its own street names made up by campers that are now on the map.

"It's a celebration of our heritage. I don't know, there are celtic festivals everywhere but there is something special about here," Baker said.

The games feature vendors along with bagpipes and athletics, including the iconic caber toss, where competitors try to flip a log on the field.

"We are at the base of Grandfather Mountain and it's a very magical place," Baker said.

Operations Manager Levin Sudderth said he expects between 25,000 and 30,000 people will attend the games between Thursday and Sunday.

He's been doing this his entire life. He took his first steps there at 9 months old.

People come in from all over the world for the annual event on Grandfather Mountain. 

"We had people from Canada. We had people from the West Coast that drive out here from Utah, California," Sudderth said.

The Highland Games will continue through Sunday. Organizers ask people attending the games to remember they must park at one of the designated lots and be shuttled in.