Glasgow’s international week-long festival of piping, Piping Live!, celebrated a record year in 2007 with its fourth annual event in August.

This year’s Piping Live! saw events take place at 16 locations across the city, attracting around 70,000 bagpipe fans and 8000 pipers from all across the world.

The festival, which has created 15 full-time jobs, contributes millions of pounds to Glasgow’s economy.

More than 100 kids and parents descended upon the National Piping Centre for the first ever Piping Live! Family Day featuring an introduction to piping and drumming alongside highland dancing, children’s entertainers and a barbeque.

Highlights of the week included the World Pipe Band Championships at Glasgow Green, where the Field Marshal Montgomery Band of Northern Ireland scooped the title for the second consecutive year, their sixth win in total.

St Laurence O’ Toole Pipe Band walked away with the trophy for the first ever International Quartet Challenge, Murray Henderson won The Masters Invitational Solo Piping Competition and Cameron Scott was the winner of the Pipe Idol 2007 competition.

The International Piping Concert and After World’s Shindig proved popular with audiences from around the world, who danced the night away to the sounds of the Peatbog Faeries and Wolfstone.

Festival Director, Roddy MacLeod OBE, said, ‘Once again Piping Live! was a massive success, attracting visitors from all over the world and providing a vibrant soundtrack to the streets of Glasgow throughout the week.

‘We are already looking forward to planning for the festival’s fifth birthday celebrations on 11th-17th August 2008. Thanks must go to all of our funders and partners who continue to support us including Glenfiddich, Glasgow: Scotland with style, EventScotland, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, Scottish Arts Council, the RSAMD and the National Piping Centre.’