Bagpipe Appreciation Day Date in the current year: July 27, 2026

The bagpipe is a woodwind instrument consisting of a bag-shaped air reservoir, a blowpipe that supplies air, a chanter (the melody pipe), and one or more drones (pipes that produce continuous background notes). Some bagpipes have no drones, but those usually have two chanters. The bagpipe’s defining feature is that the bag supplies air continuously. Unlike a flute or trumpet, the sound of which stops whenever the player takes a breath, a bagpipe can produce sound without interruption because the bag acts as an air reserve.

The bagpipe has been known since at least the 13th century, as evidenced by Western European manuscripts such as the Cantigas de Santa Maria from Castile and La chronique dite de Baudouin d’Avesnes from France. However, some scholars believe that similar instruments existed in ancient Greece and Rome. Although there are few actual bagpipe specimens from before the 18th century, numerous depictions prove that the instrument was widespread throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, with many regional variations.

While the Great Highland bagpipe native to Scotland is probably the best known worldwide, Ireland, Asturias, Galicia, Aragon, Portugal, England, Brittany, the Balkan region, Bulgaria, and Romania all had their own variations of the bagpipe. In 2015, 2024, and 2025, respectively, the traditional bagpipes and bagpipe culture of Slovakia, Turkey, and Bulgaria were added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Scottish bagpipe became known worldwide thanks to its use by Scottish regiments of the British Army during the British Empire’s colonial expansion and during World Wars I and II. Since then, it has become associated with military ceremonies, state funerals, and other formal events. Recently, other types of bagpipes have experienced a resurgence in popularity due to folk music and dance tradition revivals.

A group of bagpipe enthusiasts started Bagpipe Appreciation Day in 2007 to give the bagpipe the recognition it deserves beyond its stereotypical association with Scotland. On this day, people are encouraged to learn about the instrument’s history and cultural significance, as well as the diversity of bagpipes played around the world.

Since it is an unofficial holiday without a specific group of organizers, Bagpipe Appreciation Day is not celebrated with formal events. You can celebrate by listening to bagpipe music, attending a concert if there is one near you, and learning about regional bagpipes from places other than Scotland. If you play the bagpipe, use this day as an opportunity to introduce others to this amazing instrument.

Bagpipe Appreciation Day should not be confused with International Bagpipe Day, celebrated on March 10. The latter was launched in 2012 by the UK-based Bagpipe Society and the International Bagpipe Organization.