Scottish Pipe Band Championships hit high note

ORGANISERS hailed Saturday’s Scottish Pipe Band Championships at Levengrove Park in Dumbarton as the “best ever” Some 20,000 spectators flocked for the first staging of the event since the pandemic began. A total of 117 bands gathered for the championships, with pipers travelling from as far away as Australia and Texas. Field Marshal Montgomery from…

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Aberdeen enters Eurovision race

ABERDEEN City Council has thrown the Granite City’s hat into the ring to host next year’s Eurovision song contest. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) today announced that the UK would host the competition on behalf of Ukraine. As this year’s winner, Ukraine would normally host next year’s contest. But Russia’s ongoing invasion means the EBU…

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Scottish Pipe Band Championships head to Dumbarton

LOCAL pipers Rowan Murdoch and Beth Turner will be hoping for strong home support when the Scottish Pipe Band Championships begin in Dumbarton on Saturday. More than 100 pipe bands will play for 25,000 visitors at one of the biggest free bagpipe competitions in the world. Rowan, 19, who will compete in the drum majors…

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Blas Festival line-up unveiled

THE line-up for this year’s Blas Festival has been revealed, featuring 40 concerts and ceilidhs across the Highlands and islands. Julie Fowlis, Mary Ann Kennedy, and Megan Henderson are among the artists who will be taking to the stages on 2-10 September. The festival opens with a new musical commission, The Summer Walkers, by Tain…

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Miss Scotland’s Ciara Harvie singing in Edinburgh

MISS Scotland finalist Ciara Harvie is singing in Edinburgh’s St Andrew Square this weekend to raise money for Smith-Magenis Syndrome Foundation UK. The 23-year-old classical-crossover singer, who appeared on television series The Voice, will perform in the square from 1pm on Saturday and Sunday. “Music completely changed my life, and this is the reason why I…

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Val McDermid and Ian Rankin at Largo Arts Week

AUTHORS Val McDermid and soon-to-be-Sir Ian Rankin are topping the bill at Largo Arts Week, which begins on Saturday. The writers will take part in “An audience with…” events in the Fife village’s Crusoe Hotel. Lower Largo is famous as the birthplace of Alexander Selkirk, the man who inspired the story of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson…

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Jousting sells out at Linlithgow Peel

LINLITHGOW Peel hosted its first jousting tournament over the weekend since the start of the pandemic. Organiser Historic Environment Scotland (HES) all of its tickets for the show, which is part of the public body’s summer events programme. Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries, which is also managed by HES, will host a jousting tournament on 30…

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Glastonbury: Game of Thrones’ Rose Leslie joins climate fight

SCOTTISH actress Rose Leslie has today joined WaterAid’s climate fight at the Glastonbury music festival. The Game of Thrones star was joined by her husband, Kit Harington, and comedian John Bishop in supporting the charity’s campaign. “Across the world, one in ten people do not have clean water while one in five lack access to…

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Royal Highland Show sells out two days

THE Royal Highland Show has sold all its tickets for Friday and Saturday. The show, which begins on Thursday, is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. It will be the first time crowds have been allowed to attend the show at Ingliston on the edge of Edinburgh since 2019 due to the pandemic. Director operations…

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What’s On This Weekend: Jazz, boats, and more

An eclectic look at what’s on this weekend around Scotland, with Peter Ranscombe. LOCAL talent is under the spotlight this weekend at the Glasgow Jazz Festival. “With Love from Glasgow”, a festival within a festival, takes place at Òran Mór on Sunday. DJ and producer Rebecca Vasmant, who curated the line-up, said: “Glasgow is such…

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