Highland Games are most often thought of as taking place in the high glens, but the tradition extends right to the coast, as the annual Burntisland Highland Games testifies. The games are held on the town's links once the home of Burntisland's Golf Club, the 11th-oldest golf club in the world.
These games are the second oldest in the world dating back to 1652. They were originally held on St Peter's day (29th June) but have changed over the years to the third Monday of July. The market day tradition is kept alive with a large number of market traders descending on the down for the day with bumper crowds (50,000 in 2004) attending the games, market and summer fairground which also visits Burntisland during the summer months.
The one-day event showcases all the traditional Highland Games. Particularly well supported is the Highland Dancing with competitors from numerous countries often taking part. The Heavy Events include the shot putt, hammer throwing and caber tossing. There are a number of distances over which the Running and Cycling events take place including the 'Binn' race where locals run a 2 1/4 mile course over an extinct volcano at the back of the town.