The Big Fiddle — Attraction in Sydney

When I heard about the Big Fiddle - I was less than awed. But its scaled construction has a really great backstory of craftsmanship, immigration, iron and coal and fits completely with the self-identification of the Cape Breton Island music culture. Nearby in an adjacent event center we attended a special one-off performance by a remarkable young woman who was the recent first place winner of a clog and formal Highland Gaelic style performed in Scotland. This little community has fostered a number of greats from the history of this icon musical variants rooted in the Highland. The dance is visually reminiscent of Michael Flatley's Riverdance troop to an untrained eye but more true to the Scottish Gaelic esthetic. The violinist has trained violinists worldwide on the fiddling style of this Gaelic outpost and is considered a world leader in the style. We were lucky to do a square dance called out by one of the players. I've never square danced for 55 years and after my reluctance to join did so with my wife of 40 plus years. The audience was small and we acquiesced only because they hadn't enough people to make it work. I expected to be terrible and traumatized. LOL. It...

Yes, it is the biggest fiddle in the world. No, you cannot play it...

The Big Fiddle statue is the first thing you see when you arrive in the Port of Sydney. The oversized instrument is visible from anywhere in the harbour and any Cape Breton could recognize it in a heartbeat. It is one of the largest tourist attractions on the island, (due to its location). The fiddle is not an actual instrument for you musicians out there. It does not play. However, it does have speakers inside of it which project fiddle and Cape Breton tunes across the port and through the cruise pavillion.

If you are arriving by ship, you no doubt will have to visit the fiddle. However, if you are just here to explore the island, or perhaps are a local looked for a bit of culture, check out the Big Fiddle. A little ceilidh won't do...

Ok, it’s a fiddle and it’s big. Hmmm. It’s nice that the town of Sydney is trying to define itself through music. There was a group playing near the fiddle as we disembarked our cruise ship, so that was nice. I do wish they had more historical cruise excursions in town. We walked around Sydney and frankly the only memorable thing was the 230+ year old Anglican Church. Maybe a historically accurate boat wright and blacksmith shop would be interesting for cruise folk given the islands’ marine history. The fiddle is interesting but, in the end it’s basically...