THE World Pipe Band Championships got off to a rainy start in Glasgow yesterday but the wet weather did not dampen the spirits of those taking part.
Thousands of musicians are performing at the championships being held at Glasgow Green yesterday – when bands from around the world went head-to-head in the heats – and today. Pipers and drummers marched through the city centre to mark the start of the event.
Organisers say many as 40% of the pipers and drummers taking part each year are 25 and under and among those taking part in yesterday’s parade was 17-year-old Darryl Matsika, a member of St John’s College Pipe Band in Harare, Zimbabwe – the only band of its kind in the African country.
More than a quarter of the competitors come from overseas, from countries including New Zealand, Denmark, Canada and Oman, organisers said.
The defending champions are Inveraray and District, who faced competition from more than 200 bands from 13 countries as they attempt to hang on to the title they won last year.
Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association chief executive Ian Embelton said: “The competition this year is the fiercest it has ever been with the standards across each grade higher than ever.”
The championships run alongside Piping Live!, a week-long celebration of bagpipes and traditional music which runs until tomorrow.
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