The Highlanders parade annually during the annual Lonach Highland Games and Gathering, held on the 4th Saturday of August, to officially open the games. At various points along the route from Bellabeg' to Strathdon, the column stops for a "wee dram". This is led by the patron of the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, part of the Forbes clan. Most of the men in Lonach are Forbes, although there is a section for the Wallace and Gordon clans as well, each with their own tartan. The current patron of the Lonach Highlanders is Sir James Forbes.