The first Gourock Highland Games was held on Saturday 21st July 1956 to celebrate the official opening of the new playing fields at Gourock Park. The Games were presided over by Chieftain Colonel Duncan Darroch, Laird of Gourock. Eight pipe bands competed and the West of Scotland Highland Dance Championship, which is still held in Gourock Park today, was instituted, with fifty-three dancers taking part. Other events included a 14 mile road race, adult, junior and schools flat and relay races, handicap high jump, tossing the caber, tug-of-war and putting the 16lb ball. The Gourock Highland Games was originally organised by a committee. Since 1996, when the committee folded, Inverclyde Council, in recognition of the importance of the Games, took over the funding and organisation of the event.

Since its inception Gourock Highland Games has included a successful programme of traditional events such as the Gourock Pipe Band Championship, West of Scotland Highland Dance Championship, Heavy Events and Tug of War. Recent Games have seen the event expand to include a wider range of events such as children’s entertainers, birds of prey displays and parachute display teams enabling the Games to embrace both tradition and contemporary relevance.