The sight of the massed pipe bands at Annan Riding of the Marches is one of the finest spectacles in Scotland.
That is the proud proclamation of all those involved in the historic event, which takes place on Saturday 4 July this year.
The Riding of the Marches is the highlight of the Annan community calendar, and investment from the Council’s Major Festivals and Events Strategy aims to develop it further for the benefit of businesses and visitors, as well as local people. A £6,000 grant from the Major Events Strategic Fund is being used to attract more pipe bands to the town for the Street Parade on the High Street and competition at the John Bell Field.
Research conducted by the Riding of the Marches after the 2014 Festival demonstrated that 46% of all local businesses that responded to a survey benefited from the historic showcase.
Councillor Craig Peacock, the Council’s Depute Events Champion said;
“Annan becomes a carnival every Riding of the Marches Day and the Street Parade is one of the finest in the South of Scotland – or anywhere else for that matter. The Council is committed to developing the community and economic impacts from major events and our grant will secure more pipe bands for the event this year, which can only help develop its profile and visitor appeal.”
Stuart Thompson, Chair of the ROM Committee, believes the Riding of the Marches can become a major tourism attraction in Dumfries and Galloway. He said;
“The excitement and colour of our town celebrations is comparable with any other part of Scotland. In addition the pageantry of the massed pipe bands that we have for the Street parade really is superb and I’m delighted that the Council is investing in this part of our event. We know that the Riding of the Marches is superb for local businesses and we want to build it in years to come into a major tourism event for Dumfries and Galloway.”
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