comparing US vs Scotland games, is there much difference? Is one more "commercial" (vendors etc) than another?
In my personal experience your games in USA are much more commercialised than those in Scotland, with many more vendors' stalls. Then again I have only limited experience of USA games as I have so far only attended two, namely the Ventura Seaside Games and the New Hampshire Games.
Gourock games would have folded a few years ago due to lack of funding and lack of volunteers and was only saved because the Inverclyde Council (Selectmen) decided that it was worth saving due to the amount of tourist trade which the games brought to the area. With sponsorship and promotion by the Council and Tourism Offices, and an official RSPBA band competition, this has now become one of the more successful games in attracting the general public, yet there were only a few sales stalls, mostly selling cheap toys etc, and only one kilt stall, selling budget priced kilts, sporrans, hose and other accessories.
There are a few games in Scotland which have gone down the route of turning themselves into more of a Sunday market than a highland games, for example Ardrossan or Bathgate games which have a large number of non kilt related market stalls but only a minor highland games on the Sunday afternoon.
We would expect to have around half a dozen vendors at our local games next month, though probably none will be selling kilts.