Music to Your Ears

Think of Scotland and youll likely conjure up images of the Loch Ness Monster, whirls of tartan and kilts and rousing bagpipes. So with the Glasgow International Piping Festival taking place from 6th  12th August, why not book into one of the Glasgow hotels from Travelodge and come to the city to celebrate one of Scotlands most cherished traditions?

Attracting around 40,000 visitors and 8,000 pipers, drummers and performers, Glasgow will become the centre of the global piping scene as it hosts the ninth incarnation of Piping Live! and the World Pipe Band Championships.

The worlds biggest week of traditional music, Piping Live! has established itself as one of the top celebrations of Scottish culture, displaying a diverse blend of traditional music.

Piping Live! will showcase the experimental energy of todays newest talent and will feature acts such as Niteworks and Rura. The festival will also welcome established musicians from around the world, with performances from bands and musicians from 10 European countries including Rotoro (Estonia), Lyra (Bulgaria), Dram (Sweden) and Franco Calanca (Italy). There will be nearly 150 free and ticketed events taking place morning, noon and night, at venues across the city - from workshops and master-classes to ceilidhs, concerts and street performances.

Most notable is The World Pipe Band Championships or The Worlds, which is the single most important date in the calendar for pipe bands. Held in Glasgow for almost 70 years, this event typically attracts more than 5,000 musicians, making up 230 bands from all over the world, from countries as diverse as Canada, the USA, Australia and Japan. The 2012 event will see the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band from Belfast battle it out on 11th August against bands from Scotland, America, Ireland and Northern Ireland, fighting to retain their 2011 World Champions title. For an entire day Glasgow Green will see exciting competitions across all grades, including the fiercely contested Drum Major contest, Highland Dancing and the Glasgow World Highland Games Championships  all culminating in a spectacular march. In addition to all the performances, there will also be a fun kids zone and inviting stalls offering you the chance to sample delicious local food and drink.

So whether youre an avid piping fan, a newcomer to the genre, interested in picking up the pipes yourself, or youre just looking for a great day out with the kids - Glasgow is the place to be this August.