73rd Ulster Pipe Band Championships

Saturday 1 August 2026

Bangor | 11am - 6pm

Enjoy an impressive display of sight and sound, as talented pipe bands and drum major groups come together competing for coveted awards. 

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐏𝐢𝐩𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡 (𝐑𝐒𝐏𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐈), 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐀𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥.

Part of Bangor Vibes, 1 – 2 August, find out more about the weekend here. On Saturday 1 August, why not travel on the dedicated shuttle, which will run between Balloo Park & Ride and Bangor City Centre to enjoy the entertainment on offer throughout Bangor. (This is a free service, with no tickets required, which will operate on a first come first served basis). Find out more about the shuttle service.

The Ulster Championships brings together bands, families and supporters from all over for what is one of our biggest annual events, and will see bands and drum majors compete for the prestigious 'Ulster Champion' title.

Accessible parking will be available in the Gransha Road car park (by the cricket pitch), with additional overflow accessible parking available from Broadway. Please note that spaces are limited and available on a pre-bookable basis only through the Pipe Band website - https://rspbani.org/

Please go to The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Northern Ireland Branch website​​​​​​, for information on:

Full event details will be updated on the event page in due course, as plans progress at which will include information on... 

• Band Guidance
• Parking: including, General Parking | Accessible Parking (pre-booking required) | Band Coach Parking (pre-booking required) | Motorhomes
• General Information: including, Programmes | Food/Drink | Barbeques | Toilet Facilities | First Aid | Lost Persons | Drones | Litter | Dogs | Unacceptable Behaviour | Recording and Photographs

For any general event queries, please email contests@rspbani.org.
For specific Band/Drum Major queries, please email secretary@rspbani.org.

Follow The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Northern Ireland Branch (RSPBANI), on Facebook, you can email info@rspbani.org, or call +44 (0)28 9267 0445.

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Please note

- This event is a no drone zone. Only official event drones authorised by the event organisers are permitted

- This event is being photographed/filmed. Images may be used in Ards and North Down Borough Council promotional material. If you do not want your image to be used, please inform our event staff

Make a Break of it and Stay a While 

Stay a while and take a break on our shores. Relax in the beauty of this place, offering everything from 5 star luxury to cosy guest houses or unique self-catering options, maybe camping and caravanning is more your thing, let us help you plan your perfect getaway. 

Find out more in our Plan Your Trip section.

Sustainability

Ards and North Down Borough Council is committed to reducing our carbon footprint. We encourage visitors to travel via public transport, there are fresh water stations on site bring along refillable water bottles, reusable bags to pick up goodies at the event and please dispose rubbish in the correct bins when on-site.

Read more about our Roadmap to Sustainability and Recycling at Council-run Events in Ards and North Down.