73rd Ulster Pipe Band + Drum Major Championships

Admission & Carparking

Event Admission

• Entry is free

General Parking

• Ards & North Down Borough Council is operating general car parking with a free courtesy shuttle bus running every 15mins between 7:30am and 9pm. This will operate from Balloo Park & Ride (Elim Church car park) to Bloomfield Shopping Centre and the city centre. A stop at Bangor Hospital bus stop, just beside the entrance to Ward Park will provide access to the Championships.
• Full information can be found on Bangor Vibes | Plan Your Trip – Ards & North Down
• Additional car parking will be available from 8am to 7pm on a first come, first serve basis at:
  – Glenlola Collegiate – 2 Valentine Rd, Bangor BT20 4TH
  – Bethany Baptist Church – 27 Gransha Road, Bangor BT20 4TN
  – Ward Park Arras (Hardstanding) – Entry from Broadway, Bangor, BT20 4RG
• General parking is also available in the city centre car parks. Please observe tariffs as displayed at each

Accessible Car Parking

• Provision for 70 accessible car parking spaces for Blue Badge holders is available at the designated accessible car parking zone located at Ward Park Arras Pavilion (Gransha Road entrance)
• Please pre-book this by using the Parking Pass Application Form Click Here
• These are allocated on a first come, first serve basis
• It is recommended that you apply for an Accessible Car Parking Pass as soon as possible as the application system will close when all available accessible car spaces are allocated
• You will only gain entry to the accessible parking zone if you present the unique accessible parking pass together with a valid blue badge. This blue badge must be for an occupant of the vehicle on the day
• Entry to will be denied if you do not present both parking pass & valid blue badge. This blue badge must be for an occupant of the vehicle on the day
• Passes will be issued by e-mail, at least ONE day before the event

Band Coach / Minibus Parking

• Provision for 6 band coach/minibus parking spaces is available within the designated coach parking zone located at Wark Park Arras (Hardstanding) with entry from Broadway side.
• Band coaches/minibuses must only park at this designated coach parking zone
• Please pre-book this by using the Parking Pass Application Form Click Here
• Passes will be issued by e-mail, at least ONE day before the event

Motorhomes

• Provision for 12 day motorhome parking spaces is available withing the designated motorhome parking zone located at Wark Park Arras (Hardstanding) Broadway with entry from Broadway.
• There is no overnight motorhome parking available.
• Motorhomes must only park at this designated motorhome parking zone.
• Please pre-book this by using the Parking Pass Application Form Click Here
• You will only gain entry to the motorhome parking zone if you present the unique accessible parking pass
• Details on caravan parks for motorhomes in the Ards & North Down area can be found by clicking here

Information for Bands

Band Gazebos

• Gazebos must only be erected within the designated practice area
• Gazebos must not be erected on the main event site as this can interfere with arenas.
• You may only erect a band gazebo at this event if you have applied for a Season2026 Gazebo Permit
• If you have already applied for a Season2026 Gazebo Permit for this event, and your band is entered, a gazebo parking pass will be emailed out to you automatically ONE day before the event. You do not need to apply again.
• If you need to apply for a Season2026 gazebo pass for the first time, please see Gazebo Application Form
• If event organisers request gazebos to be taken down during the event for safety reasons, this must be complied with

Practice/Tuning

• When your band is practising/tuning, you must be aware of your proximity to any band and/or drum major contest arenas and must ensure that you do not get too close as to cause interference with them
• Final Tuning will be clearly identifiable. Your band practising must not interfere with the final tuning areas.
• Bands should only sound within the final tuning area to ensure there is no interference with any contest arenas for bands or Drum Majors
• Bands should follow any requests from RSPBA Directors, Stewards and Branch Officials regarding this and this must complied with

Finale

• The finale will be a massed band, advancing playing “The Battle’s O’er”
• Bands and drum majors should start preparing at the conclusion of day’s competition
• Nominated lead bands will be informed by e-mail in advance
• All bands and drum majors must comply with Local Branch Rules 7.1 and 7.2, and RSPBA Rule 4.79
• Flourishing by drum majors is not permitted during any part of the finale for health and safety reasons

End of Day Parade

• At the conclusion of the finale and prizegiving, a parade will take place along Gransha Road, Castle Street concluding at Asda/Boots
• The parade will start at the event area lead by Ravara.
• This will be a great chance for bands and drum majors to celebrate their participation and successes at this year’s Ulster Championships.

General Information

Programmes

• Will be available to purchase from the Registration Tent at a cost of £5.00.  Cash, card and contactless is accepted

Food/Drink

• There will be a selection of food and drink vendors at Ward Park Arras on the day including a beer tent facility
• Please note, some may only take cash
• Entry to the beer tent facility for over 18s

Barbeques

• Fixed and disposable barbeques are not permitted at this event

Toilet Facilities

• Portaloos will be available across the event site and will be detailed on the map within the programme
• Please show respect to users of accessible facilities as not all disabilities are visible

First Aid

• Accredited First Aid will be available at the event site and will be detailed on the map within the programme

Lost Persons

• Please report any lost persons immediately to any Branch or Event Officials on duty

Drones

• Drone flights are not permitted at this event. In the interests of public safety and compliance with UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulations, the operation of drones or other unmanned aircraft is strictly prohibited
• This restriction applies to all drones, regardless of size and weight
• Any person found operating a drone on or above this event site may be asked to cease operations immediately, and may be reported to the relevant authorities where appropriate

Litter

• Please dispose of all litter in the bins provided around the event site. This is a Council facility and normal bylaws apply
• All bands are responsible for ensuring that clearing any practice space they occupy (gazebos / final tuning). This will be monitored throughout the day and at the conclusion of the event by Branch Officials

Dogs

• Assistance dogs are welcome at this event
• Well-behaved dogs are also welcome but must be kept on a short lead
• Dogs must be able to cope with large crowds and noise
• Ensure any dogs barking are taken away immediately so as not to interfere with band or drum major performances
• Owners must clean up after their dogs and dispose of the waste in the appropriate bins

Safeguarding

• Safeguarding Information can be found by clicking here

Unacceptable Behaviour

• This event is made possible with the help of our volunteers, who are on duty to help and assist you – please demonstrate respect to them always.
• The Branch Executive has a zero-tolerance approach to any abuse of our volunteers and this extends to our third-party event officials also

Recording & Photographs

• Video recordings, audio recordings or photographs are not permitted without written permission from The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Northern Ireland Branch prior to the commencement of the Championships
• Branch photographers will be on site throughout the day and photos will be available online after the event

Tourist Information

• The 73rd Ulster Championships is part of Bangor Vibes festival. Full details are available by clicking here
• For other things to see and do around the wider Ards & North Down Borough area, please see  VisitArdsandNorthDown.com

General Queries

• • please email contests@rspbani.org 

Results

Results will be published after the finale on the main 2026 results page.