Winter Storm 2024 – 21st Anniversary Event

The Midwest Highlands Arts Fund (MHAF) Board of Directors announced the 21st anniversary of Winter Storm – The Pipes and Drums Event in Kansas City, will be held January 11 – 14, 2024. Online registration for the 2024 workshop and the piping and drumming competitions opened on October 1, 2023.

Winter Storm classes and contests will be held at the Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza.

Workshops

The piping and drumming workshop and master classes will be held Saturday and Sunday, January 13 & 14, 2024, featuring our faculty of twenty of the world’s best pipers and drummers.

 

Concert

The Winter Storm concert will be held in the Marriott Grand Ballroom on January 14, 2024 at 7pm. The free concert is not open to the public. With limited seating, the priority will be for workshop attendees, competitors and accompanists, and their families.

The 2023 concert recording is more than three hours long, and was live streamed by sponsor, Dojo University, and can be watched again on The Piper’s Dojo Faceboo page here.

Live Stream

The Pipes and Drums concert and will be live streamed on the Saturday. On Thursday and Friday many of the Amateur and Professional contests, and the awards ceremony, will be live streamed.

Winter Steam

The ever-popular Winter Steam Ceilidh will follow the concert at approximately 9:00 P.M. The “world’s biggest indoor beer tent” is free, and open to the public. A souvenir pint glass may be purchased for $30 online, or on the day of the event, until sold out.

Contests

The 2024 contests include entry limitations for all contests, a $1500 travel prize for the aggregate winner of Gold Medal Piobaireachd and the Gold Medal Ceol Beag, and a single classes for amateur tenor drum and bass drum contests

Professional ceol beag piping will be held in two categories, Gold Medal and Silver Medal, and neither will have a playoff.

All Amateur Piping and Drumming competitions will be held on Thursday, January 11, 2024 and all Professional Piping and Drumming competitions will be on Friday, January 12, 2024.

The Gold Medal Snare Drumming qualifier will take place Thursday evening, January 11.

There will be competitor entry size limits for all contests. Registration for each contest will be accepted until full.

The on-site competitor registration/check-in desk will be open at the Marriott Hotel, 2nd floor, from 3pm – 9pm on January 10 and will reopen on January 11 & 13 at 7am. Competitions will start at 8am on both Thursday and Friday.

The awards ceremony for all contests will take place at approximately 9pm on Friday, January 12, 2024 in the Marriott Grand Ballroom.

Contest Spectators

On Thursday contest spectators may attend the amateur contests and the Gold Medal snare Drumming Qualifier free of charge. Friday contest spectators must purchase a Contest Spectator Pass. Spectator Passes may be purchased online in advance or onsite.

All amateur competitors will be given a free Contest Spectator Pass to watch Friday’s professional events.