Eight witty quick-handed pipers ready for 2026 P-M’s Wheel of Fortune April 25th

The Grade 2 City of Edinburgh’s the twentieth annual Pipe-Major’s Wheel of Fortune Invitational Solo Piping Competition will attempt to defend its own title as the world’s most creative and fun contest by shaking up the inventive rules, looking to eight of the Scotland’s best players to be both serious and comical on April 25th at the Danderhall Miners’ Club in Midlothian, Scotland.

Sandy Cameron, Roy Bridge; John Dew, Glasgow; Angus MacPhee, Inverness; Cameron May, Lesmahagow; Sarah Muir, East Kilbride; Craig Muirhead, Bannockburn; Dan Nevans, Glasgow; and Bradley Parker, Glasgow are on board to regale the always large crowd with their quick hands and quick wit.

Muir will defend her 2025 title, and MacPhee, Nevans and Parker will spin the wheel for the first time to determine what they have to play and say in the MSR, Medley and Joke (really, no joking) events.

The MSR is conservative and familiar, but the Wheel of Fortune Medley requires each piper to spin the wheel of 12 numbers that correspond to these types of tunes:

• Tune by Alan MacDonald
• Tune with an animal, bird or fish in its title (e.g., “Corncrakes Are Bonnie”)
• Donald MacLeod composition
• Female name tune (e.g., “Isabel MacKay”)
• Gaelic or Irish slow air
• Gordon Duncan composition
• Tune by G.S. McLennan
• A hornpipe
• A tune composed by the competitor spinning the wheel
• A polka
• Two jigs
• Two reels

Each piper must include five of the categories in their medley. Four categories are determined by them spinning the Wheel’s Golden Chanter when they arrive at the event, and the fifth category is decided by a member of the audience who spins the Golden Chanter as the piper comes on to play.

BUT, each competitor gets a Joker they can use at any time to deselect one selected category, allowing them to spin again for a different requirement.

(Conceivably, a competitor could cover three or even four categories with a single tune. For example, “The Hen’s March” is a jig composed by Donald MacLeod, and “hen” is the name for a female chicken. But we digress.)

The categories can be put together in any order to form one continuous medley, along with a maximum of three tunes of their choice that don’t fit a category.

As if that’s not different enough for a piping competition, right after the competitors finish their medley, they have to tell a joke, to be judged by the audience. Ian Duncan and Dougie Murray will judge the piping events.

“We are delighted to welcome eight great musicians to our Pipe-Major’s Wheel of Fortune competition,” City of Edinburgh secretary Paul White said. “Cameron, Craig, John, Sandy and Sarah have kindly agreed to take the floor again, while Angus, Bradley and Dan will be spinning the Golden Chanter for the first time.  We’re thrilled to have attracted such talented pipers to our event, and we very much appreciate their support.”

Last year’s Pipe-Major’s Wheel of Fortune winner was Sarah Muir, with a first in the Medley.  Cameron Drummond won the MSR, and Brian Lamond of Dunfermline, Scotland, told the best joke.

Tickets to the City of Edinburgh’s fundraiser are £15 at the door (£7.50 for under 16s). Doors open at 11:15, and the contest kicks off at noon.

City of Edinburgh was originally known as Woolmet & Danderhall, a frequent Grade 1 prize-winner in the 1970s. After Woolmet Colliery shut down in the 1980s, the band continued under a new identity.