BB Band at the City of Perth Salute
This year, the City of Perth Salute was held in commemoration of D-Day and the Normandy landings, as it was the 80th anniversary of this important event. The Salute is a family-friendly event allowing people the opportunity to see both military and civilian groups taking part in a large parade. The 25th Stirling (Dunblane) Boys’ Brigade Band was fortunate to be asked to be a part of the celebrations.
City of Perth Salute – marching through Perth
We started at Thimblerow car park in Perth and marched our way to North Inch Park. The main parade was along Perth High Street. Whilst marching down the streets of Perth we stopped at Tay St to perform for the invited guests. The band was part of a huge procession, playing music and entertaining the many crowds that had gathered for the event. There was a large mix of bands, with many taking part dressed up in different costumes and uniforms. The event combined youth groups, military bands, civilian music and dance groups. In addition, there were lots of vintage militaria and people dressed in civilian clothes and military uniforms worn during the time of the Second World War.
Once at North Inch Park we took part in the main arena event, where we played amongst other tunes, ‘World in Union’, ‘Cantina Band’ and ‘Seven Nation Army’. It was really exciting to play in front of a large crowd, which was really enthusiastic and supportive. There were lots of other bands playing, a majorettes routine, Chinese dragons, choirs, an impressive routine from a motorcycle display team, and many more. A good selection of photos showing the different groups involved is available here.
Playing in arena at Perth City Salute Day
As well as the events happening in the arena, there were many stalls for people to browse. Stalls included those run by community organisations, tasty food stalls and stalls run by military personnel. It was really interesting to look at some of the military guns, ammunition and vehicles used by the army in the War.
We had a great day, and the weather was kind. The band is definitely looking forward to being a part of this impressive event again next year!