Piping Live! adds Drum Corps Series to 2026 lineup

The 2026 edition of Piping Live! is adding drumming to its programming with the Drum Corps Series, with one of four Grade 1 pipe band percussion sections performing at the festival’s Centre Stage at 1 pm beginning on Monday, August 10th.

• Monday: Simon Fraser University
• Tuesday: Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia
• Wednesday: Inveraray & District
• Thursday: St. Laurence O’Toole

To enjoy these performances, you will need a Piping Live! Day Pass (£10 or £9 concession) for one-off corps performances or a Festival Week Pass (£40/£36) to enjoy all four.

Since its inception in 2003, Piping Live! has focused on all things bagpipes, with the exception of full pipe band performances and practices, and the Drum Corps Series is a rare glimpse at the side of bands that makes a pipe band a pipe band.

The festival also confirmed the return of the Gordon Duncan Memorial Competition on Wednesday, August 12th, at 2:15 pm in the Auditorium of the National Piping Centre’s McPhater Street premises.

The competition showcases top-level solo pipers competing in Scottish, Irish, and Breton music sections, mirroring the Inter-Celtic Music Festival in Lorient, Brittany, an event the late piping genius won several times.

Tickets for the Gordon Duncan Memorial Competition are £15 for adults and £13 for those younger than 16 or older than 65. Attendees will also need a Festival Wednesday Site Ticket or a Week Pass to purchase an event ticket.

Competitors and judges have not been confirmed.