RSPBA 2017 major championship dates set

The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association’s North of Scotland Branch reported today the dates and places for the five major championships for 2017. The calendar looks pretty much like that of 2016.

• British Championships – Paisley, Scotland – May 20th
• United Kingdom Championships – Belfast – June 10th
• European Championships – Forres, Scotland – June 24th
• Scottish Championships – Dumbarton, Scotland – July 29th
• World Championships – Glasgow – August 11-12

The World Pipe Band Championships would appear to be following the same format as the last few years despite calls to return the event to a one-day competition. There is some confusion with the branch’s report conflicting with the association’s announcement at the 2016 World’s that the 2017 event would be August 18-19.

The Grade 1 qualifying rounds will apparently again take place on the Friday. Some see an extra day for a qualifying round as superfluous, since all 20-plus bands could be fit into a one-day Saturday MSR and Medley schedule, allowing all bands to be shown on a livestream broadcast, if the livestream in fact continues in 2017. The 2016 Friday Grade 1 qualifying suffered from horrendous weather, adding an extra challenge for the world’s greatest pipe bands.