10,000-Strong Bagpipe Parade in Edinburgh

E D I N B U R G H, Aug 5, 2000 -- Thousands of bagpipers and drummers from around the globe marched into the record books today to raise money for cancer care.

Some 10,000 pipers and drummers — from as far afield as the United States and Australia and led by former Scottish rugby captain Gavin Hastings — marched through the historic center of Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, organizers from Britain’s Marie Curie Cancer Care said.

The skirl of the pipes could be heard for miles.

The musicians smashed the previous world record of 3,000 people for the largest number of bagpipers and drummers to march together, they said. The old record was set some five years ago at another event organized by Marie Curie Cancer Care.

At one point, a ring of bagpipers in kilts encircled the medieval castle that looms over Edinburgh as pipers from Spain, Alaska, Guam, Canada, the United States, Australia and Hong Kong joined their Scottish counterparts.

Among the visitors from the United States were the Texas Firefighters Band andthe pipe band from the New York City Department of Corrections.

Some of the players, who aimed to raise some $750,000 for the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity, met Britain’s Prince Charles in the Scottish capital.

British actor Ewan McGregor of Trainspotting and Star Wars fame, a keen bagpipe player himself, is now filming in Australia but lent his support to the event from afar.

“I wanted to be part of this great event, which will be such a brilliant celebration of the best of Scotland’s music, dance and traditions, especially as it’s for a good cause,” hetold the BBC.

“Some of my family are playing the pipes and marching, and I just wish that I could be there with them.”

Reuters contributed to this report.