August is a time for traditional music in Glasgow and we celebrate with plenty of musical events across the city. One of the most exciting things to do in Glasgow in August is to attend Piping Live! the world’s biggest piping festival. Glasgow’s International Piping Festival will return this summer with a packed schedule of in-person and virtual events from Saturday 6th – Sunday 14th of August so you can take part no matter where in the world you hail from. Book serviced apartment accommodation in Glasgow for couples, groups, families and solo travellers in PREMIER SUITES this summer to make our city your home from home.
Return of Piping Live!
We’re excited to welcome back this very special festival for the first time since 2019, offering a blended programme of in-person and online events for all to enjoy. Celebrating its 19th year, the festival attracts over 30,000 attendees to the city and is supported by Glasgow Life and EventScotland. The programme is eclectic and varied with a mixture of traditional and modern, performances and recitals, talks, competitions, workshops and so much more. Piping Live! prides itself on being at the centre of the international piping community and year on year it extends a hand of musical friendship to artists and audiences across the world.
Piping Live! Line Up
We’re promised the biggest and best lineup for Piping Live! in 2022 and we’re excited to welcome professional players, bands, and visitors from across the globe to our small corner of the world. The headline event of this year’s Piping Live! will take place at the Old Fruitmarket with the multi-award-winning folk band RURA, alongside the hugely talented multi-instrumentalist Ross Ainslie and winner of the 2019 BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award and 2016 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk award, Brìghde Chaimbeul. RURA are returning to the festival that launched their career 12 years ago and we’re delighted to welcome them home.
We welcome the first ever Iranian professional female piper Liana Sharifian performing alongside her father, the legendary Mohsen Sharifian accompanied by Habib Meftah. There will also be artists from Estonia – Est Pipes, Uilleann Piper Leonard Barry, and Hungarian duo Balázs Istvánfi & András Németh. There will be performances from Allan MacDonald, Finlay MacDonald and Ali Hutton to name a few. ‘We’re a Case the Bunch of Us’ event will see Allan MacDonald present music from his collections The First Hundred and The Second Hundred followed by a performance from Biera, the up-and-coming all-female group performing stunning songs in Gaelic, Scots and English.
You can look forward to a special performance from the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland (NYPBS) to celebrate its 20th birthday at Glasgow’s City Halls showcasing 10 new compositions written especially for their emerging composer’s project. It’s truly an action-packed festival line-up with something for all piping tastes.
Piping Competition
It wouldn’t be a festival without some friendly competition. The Pipe Major Alasdair Gillies Memorial Recital Challenge, Piping Live’s flagship evening of solo piping, will make a welcome return this year pitting five top pipers against each other as they perform a medley of their favourite tunes.
The International Quartet Competition will feature six of the top Grade I pipe band quartets in the world who send four of their finest pipers to compete in a head-to-head challenge.
The Masters Solo Piping Competition will take place at the National Piping Centre. This prestigious competition is the qualifying event for the Glenfiddich piping competition and will see the best soloists from across the world compete in Piobaireachd and Light Music.
Don’t miss The Pipe Idol Final where four solo players aged 21 and under, go against each other in a decider after winning their heat earlier in the week. The prize is a set of Fred Morrison’s Reel Pipes, a treat for any young piper.
Piping Live!
Daytime events will primarily take place at the festival’s iconic Street Café on McPhater Street. Pipe bands from across the globe will perform on Buchanan Street from 12noon each day of the festival, including artists from Canada, the USA, and Argentina. Virtual audiences from around the world can enjoy around 40 hours of live stream content which is all included in one Livestream Festival Pass. Several daytime events and the Learn at Live! workshops will also be streamed. Check the Piping Live! Website for more information on events and tickets. Book your stay in PREMIER SUITES Serviced Apartments Glasgow this summer to enjoy the Piping Live festival in style. Our flexible apartments give guests a taste of living like a local in your very own suite in Glasgow. Browse our website for our best available rates, guaranteed.
