Archive
The post-World’s transfer season started about a minute after the final results were announced at Glasgow Green, and Grade 1 Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia got things started officially with the appointment of 29-year-old Bradley Parker as pipe-sergeant. Parker becomes the first appointed pipe-sergeant for the band under Pipe-Major […]
The Argyllshire Gathering on Wednesday, August 27th, and Thursday, August 28th, marks the traditional turning point of the piping and drumming year in the northern hemisphere, ushering in a series of big solo competitions that last until May. “Oban,” as competitors casually refer to the event, is the sister event […]
Competing pipe bands and their members put in hundreds of hours of practice and pay thousands for the pure joy of making the best music they can with their friends. The endorphin-inducing thrill of competing, the adrenaline rush of satisfaction after an excellent performance, and the strange relief when it’s […]
According to organizers, the 2025 Piping Live! Glasgow International Piping Festival attracted more than 30,000 Celtic music-lovers in Scotland’s biggest city, shattering previous records. Hinging or dependent on the participation of more than 200 pipe bands in the World Championships, about half of which are from outside of Scotland, Piping […]
In the aftermath of the all-consuming World Pipe Band Championships, a group of die-hard solo piping competitors turned out for the Crieff Highland Games, where Sean McKeown of Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, won the Piobaireachd and was third in the MSR to win the overall trophy.
Glasgow – August 15-16, 2025 – After two days of exhausting competition, Inveraray & District won the 2025 World Pipe Band Championship at Glasgow Green, successfully defending their titles. The events were held in exceptional weather that helped attract the largest crowds seen since before the pandemic. Inveraray won all […]
George Watson’s College of Edinburgh successfully defended their title by winning the Juvenile World Championship at Glasgow Green on the first day of the 2025 World Pipe Band Championships in what the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association and sponsors Glasgow Life branded a “Youth Championship” day. Watson’s also won the drumming.
The first day of the 2025 World Pipe Band Championships enjoyed immaculate weather to go with many near-flawless Grade 1 performances before a large crowd at Glasgow Green. Fourteen of the globe’s best bands competed in Medley and MSR events. Each contestant could choose which of their two selections they’d […]
We bring you the final installment of daily photos from Piping Live! 2025 taken and curated by Alister Sinclair. Watch for more images from Alister, this time from the 2025 World Pipe Band Championships.
Iain MacDonald (Regina) reports from the Glasgow International Festival of Piping
For the first time in his illustrious career, Finlay Johnston of Glasgow won the Alasdair Gillies Memorial Recital Challenge at the Strathclyde Suite of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Also competing were Callum Beaumont, St. Andrews, Scotland; Angus D. MacColl, Benderloch, Scotland; Angus J. MacColl, Oban, Scotland; and Connor Sinclair, Crieff, Scotland.
Alex Pavlovic of Houston was the winner of the 2025 Pipe Idol Solo Piping Competition, the annual event that pits 16 of the world’s top young pipers against each other in four rounds of four, the winner of each round going through to the final.
“Boy, oh boy, can this outfit play. Shotts is a young team, and they will only get stronger.”
pipes|drums is pleased to bring our followers daily Piping Live! images by Alister Sinclair, one of Scotland’s top photographers of the country’s flora and wildlife. Each day, Alister will share some of his favourite shots from the world’s biggest festival of piping, and he’ll be on the scene at Shotts […]
Iain MacDonald (Regina) reports from the Glasgow International Festival of Piping Glasgow city centre has, in places, been transformed into New York City for the filming of the next Spider-Man movie. As well as taking in the piping, many folks keep their eyes on filming locations, with large crowds peering […]
James Stone of Waterford City, Ireland, was the overall winner of the 2025 Gordon Duncan Memorial Piping Competition, held at the National Piping Centre as part of the Piping Live! Glasgow International Festival of Piping.