The Annual Broad Cove Scottish Concert has been held on the grounds of St. Margaret of Scotland , Broad Cove, Inverness County, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia for the past 55 years. The mandate for this event is to produce a variety concert of superior quality, featuring the finest of traditional Celtic performers. Over the years 85% of the performers have been Canadian with the balance coming from the United States, Scotland and Ireland.

Previous concerts have included such notable artists as Natalie MacMaster, Buddy MacMaster, the Bara MacNeils, the Rankins, The Leahy Family and Ashley MacIsaac to name but a few. The goal each year is to produce a concert consisting of both established performers and up-and-coming artists. The quality of the performers is solid from start to finish. Our venue has always provided an excellent platform for aspiring performers.

This concert was initially established to celebrate the 100th anniversary of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish. This outdoor concert has been held at the same location, the last Sunday of July since 1957. The executive is comprised of volunteers from the communities which make up the parish of less than 100 families.

The concert has been featured in productions by the CBC, BBC and private agencies as well. Most recently, the Smithsonian Institute used portions of our concert in a production related to Celtic music. As it is a variety concert comprised of fiddlers, dancers, vocalists, pipers, guitarists and pianists, we appeal to a broad audience.

The concert has no corporate affiliation or sponsorship. It is an independently operated event. The administration, operation and manpower for this event is mainly comprised of volunteers. There are, however, a number of employees hired for specific needs. We annually hire three students for a three to four week period to assist in the preparation of the grounds. As well, carpenters and electricians are hired for any repairs or up-grading to our facility. The concert has a substantial impact on the Town of Inverness and surrounding areas. We have had paid attendance of over 5000. Children under the age of 12 years have always enjoyed free admission as a means of encouraging family attendance to our event. The concert has a positive economic effect on neighboring areas as many people plan their summer vacation around the date of this annual concert. Tourism and hospitality operations benefit most from this event, but all local business share in the benefits.

The Broad Cove Scottish Concert is, without a doubt, an elite event. Its longevity can be attributed to its broad appeal, its quality performers and the dedication of its volunteers to produce an excellent product. The organization continues to meet the increasing challenges of the event; the competition of corporate sponsored events; diminished funding over 55 years and an aging and decreasing population within the host community.

The Broad Cove Scottish Concert feels a sense of pride in having played a small part in the rebirth and popularity of Celtic music and tradition over the past number of years. We believe we provide an exceptional venue to expose talent to a large audience. We believe we are a significant contributor to the economy of the County of Inverness. We believe that our continuity is important to the arts, to our heritage, to our tourism industry, and our community.

The Broad Cove Parish Heritage Tartan

The beautiful Broad Cove Parish Heritage Tartan is composed of six colors woven in strands of eight. Each color is significant to the people of the parish. It is woven in strands of eight, representing the eight districts in the Broad Cove parish, Broad Cove chapel, Broad Cove Marsh, Dunvegan, St. Rose, Inverside, Brook Section, Deepdale and Kenloch.

The significance of the colors:

WHITE
White is the color of the Church and symbol of purity. In our tartan it represents our Church, St. Margaret of Scotland. This color is the base and all other colors fall around it. Our Church is the center of our community and the lives of our families revolve around it.

HEATHER GREEN
This color represents the scottish settlers who pioneered our parish. Our culture influences all aspects of our lives and our church life. The natural colors in this heather green represent farm life and forest industry which contribute in large part to our livelihood. It also contributes to our culture.

BLACK
This color symbolizes coal mining which had been a part of our parish and community for over a century. We remember the many men who mined the coal and the families that were supported by coal mining.

BLUE
We have surrounded our tartan block with blue. Blue represents the beautiful blue ocean that borders much of our community. It makes us conscious of the joy in our hearts that God has blessed us with such beauty. Many of our former parish.