Glasgow will hit the high notes this August as Scotland, the global home of piping, looks forward to the world’s biggest week of bagpipes with the return of two iconic events. The newly imagined Piping Live! festival and World Pipe Band Championships are set to stage another summer spectacular showcasing the country’s national instrument.
The city is preparing for the return of Piping Live! from Monday 11 to Sunday 17 August, and The World Pipe Band Championships on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 August. Renowned as a UNESCO City of Music, the city is tuning up for the events that attract attendees and participants from across the globe.
The world’s biggest piping festival, Piping Live! – which is organised by The National Piping Centre and is now in its 22nd year – attracts over 30,000 attendees annually to Glasgow for an eclectic programme of entertaining events at venues across the city to celebrate the contemporary and traditional sounds of Scotland’s national instrument.
This year, organisers are proud to unveil a show-stopping reimagined outdoor ticketed space at their home on McPhater Street, complete with a Centre Stage, The Bothy (an acoustic tent) and other exciting new additions to the already hugely successful event that shines a global spotlight on Scotland.
Piping Live! Artistic Director, Finlay MacDonald, said: “We are very proud and delighted to present this year’s edition of Piping Live! to the people of Glasgow and beyond. Thanks to the supporters, funders, performers, participants and attendees who continue to invest their time into our festival, we can continue building on our diverse, inclusive and engaging programme that showcases the breadth and depth of piping traditions and contemporary influences.
“This year, we are so looking forward to festival goers and performers experiencing our enchanting and newly-imagined festival site at McPhater Street. Expanding upon our popular Street Café, we know this new investment will allow us to bring an even wider variety of talent to Glasgow: with an array of emerging talent, international performers, live events and showcases planned for the festival’s run.
“There are opportunities for pipers and spectators of all levels and ages – from ‘come and try’ sessions, high-level competitions, enjoying street performances or at our Big Band event – you don’t have to be a piper to enjoy the wonders of Piping Live! The countdown is now on to August for when the city will be awash with the sounds of pipes and host to performers from every corner of the world.”
Highlights of this year’s Piping Live! programme
The week will get formally underway on Monday 11th August with the iconic Piping Live! Big Band, in association with our charity partner Eilidh’s Trust, welcoming pipers and drummers of all ages and abilities to join the festival’s mass participation event, filling the city centre streets with music as they march from Mansfield Park in Partick to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
Piping Live!‘s premier solo piping competition, The R.G. Hardie & Co Masters Solo Piping Competition, will kickstart the week, held in the National Piping Centre. Competitors include gold medallists, Glenfiddich Champions and international prize-winners, making this solo piping at its very best.
Buchanan Street will be awash with the sound of pipes from Monday 11th to Thursday 14th August, with free, open-air performances by pipe bands from across the globe taking place each day. Including sets from the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Pipes and Drums, the Brisbane Boys College, Murrumba Pipe Band and more. These free performances offer a fantastic chance to experience world-class piping in the bustling heart of the city centre.
The first headliner of the Centre Stage will perform on Monday evening – the award-winning folk trio Assynt. The group have come to be recognised for their tight-knit fiddle and pipe playing blended with intricate guitar lines and grooves.
Other exciting names that will be on the line-up this year include Uist band, Beinn Lee. The six-piece has a very strong Gaelic traditional backbone to their performances, but their music of contemporary and self-penned tunes and songs are infused with diverse modern influences. Also joining the line-up this year is Malin Lewis- anaward-winning piper, fiddler, composer and instrument-maker from Moidart and Skye – to perform this year.
The festival will stage some ‘soft launch’ events on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th August featuring Bruce MacGregor, founder of Blazin’ Fiddles, presenter of BBC Travelling Folk and owner of Scotland’s reigning best music bar MacGregor’s in Inverness. On Friday evening there will be a MacGregor’s Gathering in the National Piping Centre which will also be livestreamed online. Meanwhile on Saturday afternoon there will be a series of workshops focusing on Highland fiddle music influenced by the pipes. That evening participants will join Bruce MacGregor, Cailean Mckerron and Ali Duncan (workshop hosts) to perform alongside the MacGregor’s Gathering musicians to create a ‘ceilidh like no other’.
Other flagship events of the festival will be returning by popular demand, including the hugely anticipated Pipe Idol event – a fantastic Under 21 solo piping competition, sponsored by Fred Morrison Pipes, that sees top competitors from across the world participate to be named the winner.
The Gordon Duncan Memorial Piping Competition will be taking place at The National Piping Centre Auditorium in the afternoon of Wednesday 13th August. Supported by the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust, the prestigious competition sees four pipers compete by playing Scottish, Irish and Breton music in celebration of the life of piping legend Gordon Duncan.
Other stand-out events on the jam-packed calendar for 2025 will also take place in event area The Bothy: with everything from Ceilidh Tots for the wee ones, album and book launches, conversation events and more.
The Worlds
Meanwhile, The World Pipe Band Championships – organised by The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association and delivered by the city’s culture and sport charity Glasgow Life – is an iconic event the city first hosted in 1948 and has staged every year since 1986. As the pinnacle highlight of the international competitive pipe band calendar, it attracts thousands of spectators from near and far every year to watch the world’s best talent compete in the ultimate ‘battle of the bands’.
The Worlds is a much-loved event that’s hugely popular with competitors, supporters and spectators alike – always attracts thousands of visitors to Glasgow to experience the stirring sights and sounds, and memorable atmosphere, of the event. Attendance at last year’s premier pipes and drums showcase reached around 35,000 – with huge viewing figures online too – watching an impressive line-up of nations competing. That included countries as far afield as Australia, Oman and Hong Kong; the biggest contingent of bands (119) was from Scotland, the second largest was from Northern Ireland, and the third largest was from the USA.
Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Chief Executive, Colin Mulhern, said: “The World Pipe Band Championships is an iconic event that is incredibly important to the global piping community. Bringing together in Glasgow the very best bands in the world, it’s always spectacular and an unforgettable experience for competitors and spectators alike.
“Last year’s Worlds saw 204 bands from 13 countries taking part, and more than 7,000 pipers and drummers taking to the field at Glasgow Green to compete in the ultimate ‘battle of the bands’.
“We can certainly expect another wonderful showcase of piping and drumming at this year’s event on 15 and 16 August, with a hard-fought contest for all of the categories and of course, the title of this year’s world champions. As always, tickets will be in great demand, so we’d encourage everyone planning to come along to book their tickets as soon as possible.”
Presale Tickets
Presale tickets for Piping Live! will be available from noon on Thursday 15 May to the Piping Live! mailing list, with general tickets on sale from 10am, Monday 19 May at www.pipinglive.co.uk – where more information on the festival is available.
General tickets for The World Pipe Band Championships 2025 go on sale at 10am on Thursday 15 May and are available at www.theworlds.co.uk and more details on the event are available at the site. (Grade 1 tickets will be released at a later date.)
Glasgow City Council Convenor for Culture, Sport and International Relations, and Chair of Glasgow Life, Bailie Annette Christie, said: “Scotland is renowned as the global home of piping, and Glasgow’s reputation as a fantastic destination for music lovers is also recognised widely by its designation as a UNESCO City of Music. And with the city hosting both the world’s biggest piping festival and the premier competitive pipe band event – there’s definitely nowhere better to enjoy world-class piping than Glasgow in August during the city’s 850th birthday year.
“Offering great entertainment and memorable experiences celebrating our nation’s culture, heritage and music, Piping Live! the World Pipe Band Championships are much-loved highlights of our city’s cultural programme. Both events are very valued by Glasgow; they make a significant contribution to our visitor economy, attracting many thousands of pipers and spectators, as well as the attention of the world’s media, to further enhance the city’s profile. It’s a pleasure and privilege for Glasgow to host these incredible piping extravaganzas, and we look forward to welcoming attendees from near and far this summer.”
Director of Industry and Events at VisitScotland, Rob Dickson, added: “Glasgow’s renowned warm welcome always sets the scene and offers the perfect stage for two of Scotland’s most valued events celebrating the music of our national instrument and the country’s rich heritage.
“Piping Live! and The World Pipe Band Championships not only showcase incredible displays of skill and talent, bringing together the very best pipers from around the world to provide spectacular entertainment, but they also attract visitors from near and far, boosting local businesses and fostering economic growth. These events offer a wonderful fusion of traditional and contemporary Scottish culture for all to enjoy while growing the value of Scotland’s visitor economy and strengthening Scotland’s reputation as a world-leading tourism and events destination.”