2026 Dollar competition promises robust entry and an exciting Grade 1 medley event

In only its fourth year, the Dollar Pipe Band Competition has become a solid non-championship favourite, and the 2026 edition on Saturday, May 23rd, features more than 50 bands across all grades, including an eight-band Grade 1 medley competition.

Five of the UK’s eight certified Grade 1 bands are entered, and because the event is an own-choice medley, three certified Grade 2 bands plan to challenge up:

• Coalburn IOR (Gr2)
• Denny & Dunipace (Gr2)
• Field Marshal Montgomery
• Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia
• Johnstone (Gr2)
• Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia
• Police Scotland Fife
• ScottishPower

Only Grade 1 bands Inveraray & District, Police Scotland & Federation and Ravara will miss the competition.

Most, if not all, of the Grace 1 entrants will reportedly unveil new medleys, providing a valuable first airing before the British Championships in Edinburgh on May 30th, which also calls for a medley for Grade 1.

Following the success of Inveraray & District’s uniquely creative “Dream Valley” medley, several bands are reportedly adopting a similar thematic approach to their selection, structured to tell a musical story by linking tunes with a common theme in highly orchestrated arrangements.

The Grade 2 competition will feature 10 entrants, only three of whom are certified Grade 2; the rest are playing up from Grade 3 or Juvenile.

The weather in the Dollar region is relatively warm, with temperatures reaching 18°C, overcast and dry, and a moderate breeze, potentially making the day ideal for a pipe band competition.

The competition was first held in 2023 and organized by the RSPBA’s Dundee, Perth & Angus Branch. The event is held on the 70-acre grounds of the prestigious fee-based school that runs one of the world’s most successful piping and drumming teaching programs.

Inveraray & District won the 2025 Grade 1 event at Dollar with straight firsts, foreshadowing the band’s eventual 2025 World Championship victory.

Stay tuned to pipes|drums for results from Dollar as they become available.