The first Scottish gala was in 1871, when the miners of Kirkcaldy celebrated the introduction of an eight-hour working day. Back then, tens of thousands of miners and their families would march to the gala fields in villages across Scotland — ending every year with the mighty miners’ gala in Edinburgh, where crowds could reach six figures. Today’s galas are more modest affairs, but are still key events in local social calendars. Many galas have a week-long programme of events culminating in a dance or a ceilidh.