Pipe Bands Australia combines band and solo Oz Championships into one weekend

With a new tagline of “Same Spirit. New Stage,” Pipe Bands Australia is combining the Australian Juvenile Pipe Band Championships and Australian Solo Piping and Drumming Championships into three days of competitions from Friday, October 3rd, to Sunday, October 5th, at the Scots School, Albury, New South Wales.

The first two days will feature Australian solo events, and the Juvenile Pipe Band Championships will be held on the final Sunday. Pipe Bands Australia expects more than 300 separate performances across the weekend.

The Australian Juvenile Pipe Band Championships are held every other year, in rotation with the semi-annual Australian Pipe Band Championships. The first Juvenile Championships were held in 2023.

The Australian Solo Piping Championships, first held in 1961, have been held separately from the pipe band events.

For all of the events, PBA advises, “Adding to the prestige of the weekend, the Championships will be judged by a panel of international and local adjudicators, bringing global expertise and ensuring that performances are measured against the highest international standards. Their involvement highlights the strong ties between Australia’s pipe band community and the wider world of piping and drumming.”

Pipe Bands Australia is structured as a federation of state and territory associations, rather than a single centralized membership body. It represents and coordinates the activities of these state-level associations across Australia.

PBA represents:

• NSW Pipe Band Association (New South Wales)
• Pipe Bands Queensland
• Pipe Bands Victoria
• Pipe Bands South Australia
• Pipe Bands Western Australia
• Pipe Bands Tasmania

Each of these state/territory associations manages local competitions, training, and band administration within its region. Pipe Bands Australia provides the national rules, adjudication standards, grading system, and Australian Championships, and acts as the official link to the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA) internationally.

PBA represents more than 2,000 individuals and more than 200 bands across the six state associations.