Piping contest set to attract 20,000 visitors to Inverness
TICKETS have gone on sale for an annual piping event which is set to attract more than 20,000 people to Inverness.
The inaugural Piping Inverness, which incorporates the European Pipe Band Championships, takes place in Bught Park on June 29.
It will be the first in a three-year deal which is set to bring a multimillion-pound boost to the local economy each time it is held.
The one-day spectacular is expected to attract more than 4000 pipers and drummers who will compete across a number of grades, as well as 20,000 visitors.
City-based event specialist LCC Live is the main organiser. The firm’s Rebecca Corbett said: “Hosting the championships in Inverness makes the event more accessible to those – young and old – living in the Highlands, and we’d like them to come and enjoy it.
“Not only will Piping Inverness include the European Pipe Band Championships, whi-ch will bring more than 120 bands to the city, it will also feature Highland dance competitions, as well as live entertainment, traditional craft stalls and food and drink outlets.
“It will be a great, fun-filled family day out, and we hope you will come and join us.”
Bands that compete for the title of European champions will be judged by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association.
Competitors from as far afield as Australia took part in 2018.
The announcement that the competition would move to the Highland capital came at the end of last year’s event in Forres, which ended a six-year spell in the Moray town.
The event was won by Inveraray and District Pipe Band for the second consecutive year.
At the time, Inverness Provost Helen Carmichael said: “Events of this nature are vital boosts to the economic vibrancy of the locations in which they are hosted, and Inverness is well placed to receive both competitors and the many visitors that will come to the event.”
Tickets for Piping Inverness, as well as trade stall applications, are available at www.pipinginverness.com
