THE World Pipe Band Championships will finish Scotland’s biggest week of piping with a bang.
Thousands of pipers and drummers will go head-to-head for the title at Glasgow Green in the coming days.
On Friday, the Grade One qualification is up for grabs in the preliminary round of the World Pipe Band Championships with Saturday 17th hosting the grand finale.
The highly anticipated and extremely popular event welcomes people from all over the globe to Scotland. This year's competition will feature 204 bands and pipers from 13 different countries, including Australia, Hong Kong, and Oman.
The reigning World Pipe Band Champions have performed at this year's championships 🎶
— The National (@ScotNational) August 16, 2024
The Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band were playing in Glasgow Green on Friday ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ItXqyMR4dq
Glasgow Life chair Bailie Annette Christie said: “The championships and the Piping Live! festival demonstrate the strength of worldwide interest in Scottish culture and the music of Scotland’s national instrument.
“These fantastic events are extremely important to and valued by Glasgow as they further enhance the city’s cultural profile, boost tourism, and contribute significantly to our economy.
“We are very proud of the continued success of these much-loved celebrations of piping and Scottish culture.”
This weekend, Glasgow Green will see an even larger turnout than previous years, with an estimated 7000 pipers set to perform. Competitors are ranging from youngsters to seasoned professionals; the oldest amongst them will be in their 70s.
READ MORE: You can get your hands on your own bagpipes and chanter — here's how
Glasgow has hosted the legendary tournament since 1948 and has staged every edition since 1986, with last year welcoming over 35,000 music lovers to gather in the east-end park.
Alongside this, the championships are expected to accumulate a large online audience as it is available to watch via a livestream.
In 2023, Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band won the World Champions title for the very first time, bringing it back home to Scotland.
The championships are held in partnership with the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association by Glasgow Life, a charity which supports bringing culture and sport to the city in aid mental, physical and economic wellbeing.
The event is supported by funding from EventScotland.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here