15th annual pipes|drums New Year’s Honours

2016 Event of the Year

Live In Ireland In Scotland – 1987 vintage 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band and guests – Celtic Connections

The re-enactment of the 1987 Ballymena concert by the 78th Fraser Highlanders was chosen as the event of 2016 by our panel, just edging out Piping Live! While PL! and the other nominees are massive in comparison, our panel felt that the unique reunion + gusts Live In Ireland event was too important this year not to award the honour.

Panellists’ comments:

“For all the obvious reasons. There was as much fun off stage as there was on it. A great idea that lived up to expectations.”

“The re-enactment of a pivotal concert in pipe band history was a highlight of the year.”

Also nominated (alphabetical order):

• Field Marshal Montgomery’s IMPACT Pre-World’s Concert – another tour de force by the world’s best pipe band (at least on August 13th and on any other given day). The Pre-World’s event sold out the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and had the crowd pleading for more.
• 2016 Piping Live! Glasgow Festival of International Piping – hard to compare a one-night concert with an eight-day festival, but this year’s Piping Live! felt slightly smaller and a little more manageable than previous years. Still the place to be if you’re a serious piper or drummer, and a significant money-maker for the city of Glasgow. The winner of the 2015 pipes|drums Event of the Year was a close runner-up this time.
• 2016 World Pipe Band Championships – the biggest pipe band contest there is, once again in its now familiar form at Glasgow Green. We can be prone to take it for granted, but it’s worth a reminder that this is an absolutely fantastic event, run like clockwork, even if the clock goes until 8 pm on a dark park by the time the last prize is announced.
• Winter Storm 2016 – Kansas City here they come, and come they did again in droves like cattle for last January’s weekend of competitions, recitals, concerts and workshops. Who’d have thought the middle of the Midwest USA could become the centre of piping and drumming even for a few days, but the team of volunteers have created a non-profit extravaganza imitated around the world.

So, there you have it: our 15th annual New Year’s Honours. Congratulations to . . .