Inverness announces return of 2022 European Championships on June 25th
LCC Live, the organization that purchases the rights from the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association to stage the European Pipe Band Championships, has declared that the event “will return” on June 25, 2022, once again at Bught Park in Inverness, Scotland.
The contest was first organized by the group in 2019, winning the contract in a bidding process with the RSPBA. Before then, the European Championships were held at Grant Park in nearby Forres, a popular venue popular with competing bands.
LCC Live first established a three-year contract, but the latter two years of the deal were scuttled by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced their cancellation, along with the other four RSPBA major championships. The extension with the RSPBA will continue for both 2022 and 2023, and continue under the “Piping Inverness” moniker.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. A spokesperson for LCC Live said, “In terms of any payments for this event, that’s a private matter between LCC Live and the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association.”
LCC Live said that the 2019 European Championships attracted more than 17,500 visitors and more than 100 bands. Due to the remote location of the contest, many bands from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, plus some Scottish-based bands, elected not to attend the 2019 competition, resulting in a substantially smaller entry for most of the grades, relative to the other four majors.
“LCC Live is extremely confident that Piping Inverness can take place safely in 2022,” the group said in a statement. “It’s been a difficult couple of years for the event and music industry, but we do see light at the end of the tunnel and are therefore making plans for a series of events and concerts next summer, including Piping Inverness.”
Inveraray & District are the reigning Grade 1 European Champions.
The RSPBA later announced the schedule for its remaining 2022 championships, saying they “will take place,” though the British Championships, normally held in Paisley, Scotland, was listed as “to be confirmed” and no location was provided.
- British Championships, May 21st, “to be confirmed”
- United Kingdom Championships, June 11th, Lurgan, Northern Ireland
- Scottish Championships, July 30th, Dumbarton, Scotland
- World Championships, August 12th-13th, Glasgow
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