Welcoming over 30,000 attendees to Glasgow performance spaces and landmarks each year, Piping Live! showcases an eclectic programme of events for pipers, drummers and music lovers alike – and this year’s festival is set to be one of its most popular yet.

The sensational celebrations get formally underway today with the Piping Live! Big Band. A record number of pipers and drummers are set to line Glasgow’s west end streets, marching from Mansefield Park in Partick to the concourse of the iconic Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in a spectacular display.

The Big Band’s seventh showcase will see around 170 pipers, from young learners to seasoned professionals, perform a rousing repertoire of fan favourites with participants of all ages playing chanters, bagpipes, snare, bass and tenor drums during the festival’s joyful mass participation event. 

Participants hail from all corners of the globe and come together in collective appreciation of Scottish music and culture. This year this includes a group of pipers from Hong Kong, as well as participants from Germany, Australia and towns and cities across Scotland.

This year, the event is in support of Glasgow-based charity Articulate Cultural Trust, which helps care experienced and marginalised groups of young people access the tools they need to build a robust and fulfilled life.

For one Big Band participant, the event allows her to take part in piping in an accessible and inclusive way. Leanne Richardson, 34 from Cumbernauld, has been playing the pipes for 14 years and joins the Big Band for the fourth time this year.

Leanne said: “I have epilepsy and other disabilities which have a big impact on my ability to play my pipes, but each year I focus really hard to be able to take part in the Big Band. It's a really rewarding experience as there is no pressure. 

“Music has always been a massive part of my life and being able to play the pipes is my escape. I can sit for ages, play my chanter and forget all my struggles.

“My epilepsy has a massive effect on my memory, concentration and learning so there are only a few tunes I can remember without music in front of me. Taking part in the Piping Live! Big Band is a stress free way of being able to be part of something that was a dream as a child. I remember watching pipers marching as a child and always wanted to be able to do that, now here I am.”

Finlay MacDonald, Artistic Director for Piping Live!, said: “One of the festival highlights, the Piping Live! Big Band showcase is such an exciting way to kickstart the festivities and celebrate Scottish culture and our national instrument in the perfect way. To have more pipers and drummers than ever before taking part in the parade today, and raising money for a great cause in the process, is a fantastic milestone for this inclusive event. We are very thankful to all those joining us on Glasgow’s streets in celebration today and across the week.

“It’s set to be an unforgettable festival and pipes will be ringing out across the city all this week! We would encourage everyone to come along to the events and see the world’s biggest piping festival in action!”

Across the week, audiences will be treated to over 150 events across 10 outdoor and indoor venues including two new locations – Waxy O’Connors and Saint Luke’s.

Taking place in the lead up to the World Pipe Band Championships, music fans can expect everything from lively concerts and captivating recitals to hard-fought competitions, engaging workshops and energetic sessions at Piping Live!, featuring more than 700 musicians from a staggering 10 countries across its nine days.

This will all be supported by a record 60 volunteers, including people from Germany and Australia, who have put themselves forward to contribute to the event’s success.

Strong early ticket sales and a series of early sell out shows, with more expected as the festival continues, means the stage is well and truly set for an international festival to remember. 

Glasgow Life Chair, Bailie Annette Christie, said: “Bagpipes are synonymous with Scotland’s culture and heritage, and there’s certainly no better place or time than Glasgow during Piping Live! to experience the stirring sounds of our national instrument, and enjoy its traditional and contemporary music.

“The vibrant and packed programme in this year’s festival offers a diverse array of piping events and activities – from the Big Band parade to performances and practice sessions – that really shine a light on just how versatile the bagpipes are. 

“The huge popularity of both Piping Live!, and the prestigious World Pipe Band Championships at Glasgow Green on 16 and 17 August, demonstrate the strength of interest, enthusiasm and passion there is globally in piping, as well as the incredible talent of players of all ages. Both events are incredibly important to Glasgow, a UNESCO City of Music, and we are proud of their continued success and to be hosting them once again as they attract and delight visitors from near and far.”

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “Piping Live! brings Glasgow to life with the sound of Scotland’s national instrument and it’s fantastic to see that record numbers will be participating at the event this year.

“Communities come together around events like this and are able to create life-long memories as a result, so I am delighted that EventScotland is continuing its support of Piping Live! and I am sure that Glasgow will once again provide the perfect stage for the festivities.”

The beating heart of the festival’s convivial atmosphere, Piping Live!’s popular Street Cafe will be open from midday every day this week at the National Piping Centre on McPhater Street. The cafe is a bustling hub of activity, hosting an array of emerging talent, international styles of bagpipes, live podcasts, pipe band practices and showcases, which are all free to attend.

Today at the Street Cafe, Ally the Piper will be chatting about her life in piping and how she grew her brand online, racking up more than four million social media followers. Recognised around the world for her innovative piping content, she will also perform a few sets as part of this special ticketed Q&A session.

Elsewhere, a staple of the Piping Live! programme, the Pipe Idol under 21 solo piping competition will see the best young pipers in the world go to head in heats taking place today until Thursday 15th August. The grand final will take place on Thursday evening at the National Piping Centre.

Tonight, Sauchiehall Street venue Nice N Sleazy will host Ceol Nua - Piping Live!’s progressive avant garde piping night. Performing at the iconic venue are innovative fusion trio The Sólàs Collective and the exciting Nexus Project led by Australian piper Bede Patterson.

The Pipe Major Alasdair Gillies Memorial Recital Challenge takes place on Thursday 15th August, when five top pipers each perform a recital of their favourite tunes. Going head to head at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall’s Strathclyde Suite will be Callum Beaumont, Alex Gandy, Matt MacIsaac, Angus MacColl and 2023 champion Stuart Liddell.

Beloved folk fusion band, Croft No. Five will start the festival’s second weekend in spectacular style, keeping the party going as they perform on Friday 16th August alongside Ailis Sutherland at Saint Luke’s. John Mulhearn’s The Pipe Factory will support the iconic acts specially curated set with his latest project which celebrates Glasgow and its music scene.

Meanwhile, Buchanan Street will become a stage for Pipe Bands from all over the world throughout the week, with performers from Scotland, Sweden, Spain and Ireland filling the city centre with music. Unticketed and free for all to attend, the bands will perform at intervals from The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Steps down to St Enoch Square at lunchtime each day.

In the west end, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum will host a recital by an amazing international artist each day of the festival at 2pm. Showcasing bagpiping traditions from around the world in the breathtaking Centre Hall will be musicians from Scotland, Ireland, Sweden and Galicia.

Members of the Maket Collective, a new online platform of six inspirational women from across piping and drumming, will host a Q&A session on Tuesday 13th August. The Maket Collective, named after the first named piper in history, a woman named Lady Maket who was playing the pipes in Egypt over 3,000 years ago, is creating a space which promotes and amplifies the voice and talent of influential women in piping and drumming.

The festival’s beloved workshop series Learn@Live! will see esteemed musicians and specialists including master reedmaker Donald MacPhee, Canadian piper, composer and performer Matt MacIsaac, and piping trailblazer Fred Morrison hosting engaging workshops until Thursday 15th August, while the Come and Try Sessions, offer the ideal opportunity for anyone to give Scotland’s iconic national instrument a go.

Piping Live! is supported by the William Grant Foundation, Glasgow Life, EventScotland and Creative Scotland. The festival is continuing to work to reduce its overall environmental impact. This year, the festival’s reusable cup scheme returns with free water stations available around the site.