Bone Up on Your Bagpipes, and Don Your Kilt

Though she's now docked at Long Beach, and has been for several decades, the Queen Mary was born on the glorious River Clyde in Scotland back in the mid-1930s. And so, with that heritage in mind and to honor the ship's Scottish past, a weekend-long party is thrown every February, complete with traditions galore like bagpiping, the sipping of malt whiskys, Border Collie sheep herding, and the famous (or infamous?) addressing of the haggis. If you don't know what haggis is, this is the perfect opportunity to learn. It's edible, and there's oatmeal involved. Plus much, much more.

What are the other highlights of the get-your-kilt-on and carouse celebration? Well, music, music, and more music. There are rollicking pipes and drums, and the rockin' Plaidpalooza with Bad Haggis, and events aplenty that positively brim with conviviality. We're keen on the whisky tasting -- Scottish libations being notably different from their American cousins, of course -- and that it is done in the ship's Boiler Room thrills.

Even if you haven't a kilt, don't worry. Just slap on that tam o'shanter and head on over. What, no tam o'shanter? Just your normal clothes and a bonny smile will do.

Queen Mary Scottish Festival
February 14-15
The Queen Mary, 1126 Queen's Highway, Long Beach
562-435-3511