The countdown to the 2024 World Pipe Band Championships is on!
It’s now just a week until Glasgow once again welcomes The World Pipe Band Championships – a spectacular highlight of Scotland’s annual cultural calendar that’s always highly anticipated and extremely popular.
This year’s ‘Worlds’ will be held on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 August at Glasgow Green. The city hosted the renowned championships for the first time in 1948 and has staged every edition since 1986.
The prestigious international contest, which is the pinnacle of competitive piping, brings together thousands of pipers and drummers from all over the world for the ultimate ‘battle of the bands’.
More than 35,000 attendees gathered on Glasgow Green last year to watch the finest bands in the world compete, and the spectacular finale which culminated in Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band winning the World Champions title for the first time, bringing the crown home to Scotland.
With an increased number of bands competing in the 2024 World Pipe Band Championships, the contest is set to be even more fiercely contested this year. Representing 13 countries from as far afield as Australia, Hong Kong, and Oman, 204 bands will take part.
Spectators from near and far can look forward to superb entertainment, stirring sounds, colourful sights and an unforgettable experience, with the championships concluding with the traditional march past of all the bands and a unique performance as they play together, prior to the announcement of the contest’s category winners and finally, the 2024 World Champions.
Attendees at this year’s Worlds can look forward to seeing:
- 204 bands competing; the biggest contingent is from Scotland (119 bands), followed by Northern Ireland (25 bands), USA (18 bands), and Canada (10 bands). This will be the first year that a band from Hong Kong is taking part in the contest.
- Well over 7,000 pipers and drummers amassing on Glasgow Green (based on average number of band members) – all resplendent in their band uniforms of kilts in a variety of vibrant tartans, worn with sporrans and Glengarry bonnets
- Over 52,400 m/ 50 km/30 miles of tartan kilt fabric worn by competitors (based on premium, traditional length-kilts). The length of material in a kilt varies from between 5m to around 7.5m.
- Competitors ranging from juveniles and novice juveniles in their early teens to experienced seniors, the oldest of whom are in their 70s.
- Bands playing a wealth of traditional Scottish musical pieces. Playing requirements differ according to the band’s grade, from march time signatures at lower levels to MSRs (a set of tunes consisting of a march, a strathspey and a reel; three different simple time metres) or musical medleys of varying durations, at higher levels. Grade 1 bands play MSRs and a medley.
- 116 trophies awarded across the 9 contest grades and 3 drum major grades – plus the World Champions title.
The World Pipe Band Championships are staged on behalf of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association by Glasgow Life – the charity which delivers culture and sport in Glasgow to support mental, physical and economic wellbeing – and the event is supported by funding from EventScotland.
The Worlds not only attracts thousands of spectators and supporters but also huge virtual audiences worldwide as it is live streamed – this year on Friday 16 August via www.theworlds.co.uk and on Saturday 17 August via www.bbc.co.uk/worlds – reflecting the level of global interest in the music of Scotland’s national instrument. This is also evident from the success and popularity of the Piping Live! annual festival which celebrates the traditional and contemporary sounds of the bagpipes and coincides with the championships – this year running from 10 to 18 August.
Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Chief Executive, Colin Mulhern, said: “Now that the final countdown is on to the 2024 Worlds, excitement is definitely intensifying and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to Glasgow Green on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 August.
“The championships are incredibly popular with the international piping community as well as supporters and spectators. Experiencing the incredible sights, sounds and atmosphere of the Worlds, and its spectacular finale, is always unforgettable. As ever, tickets are always in great demand for this great event, but it’s not too late to book up for this year’s contest so don’t delay if you don’t want to miss out!”
Glasgow Life Chair, Bailie Annette Christie, said: “The World Pipe Band Championships is an annual highlight of Glasgow’s fantastic cultural events calendar and the renowned international event shines the global spotlight on our city every year, attracting competitors, spectators and audiences from all over the world.
“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, and look forward to welcoming bands, supporters and visitors from near and far for this year’s Worlds.”
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland Director of Events, said: “Scotland is one of the best places in the world to experience piping events and EventScotland is proud to be continuing its support of the World Pipe Band Championships, the pinnacle of the piping competition calendar.
“Events play an important role in our communities by offering us the chance to come together and share memorable experiences. Glasgow Green will once again provide the perfect stage as competitors from across the world come together to showcase their talents to an enthusiastic audience as they battle it out to be crowned world champion. Good luck to all the bands taking part in the Worlds. I hope you have a fantastic competition.”
Further details of the 2024 World Pipe Band Championships, and tickets for the event are available at www.theworlds.co.uk. Highlights from the event will be broadcast on BBC Scotland on Friday 23 August at 8pm, with another chance to watch it on Saturday 24 August at 3pm.