British Pipe Band Championships

The British Pipe Band Championships are held every year, and this year they took place in Paisley, near Glasgow. 

This was a HUGE event - with large pipe bands (meaning groups of people who play drums and bagpipes) coming from all over the British Isles to compete. 

Firstly, I have to say that the organisation was very impressive. The militaristic timekeeping meant that the schedule was organised down to the last minute, with each band getting roughly 6 minutes to play and 2 minutes in between each band - and amazingly they actually stick exactly to schedule for the whole day. 

Personally I couldn't hear much difference between a lot of the bands. Those who were grade 1 (the highest level) were obviously very good and played very much on time and together, and those in the lower grades were smaller and slightly less impressive, but still very good.

After the competitions there is a short break were all the competitors seem to go to the drinks tent and have a few pints - or more than a few. During the whole event there are lots of (very overprices) food tents, bars and bagpipe-type shops, as well as lots of activities for children to do. It all makes for a very family oriented day out - it was a dog friendly event as well! I was shocked none of the dogs howl at the sound of the 100s of bagpipes. 

Finally all the bands get to march into the middle field and play together, so you get to see them marching (some slightly tipsy but mostly very impressive) and they all play together which was incredibly loud. 

If you are in Scotland in May I would recommend seeking out a competition like this as it is a real cultural experience and photo op as well as a fun day out.