Just over a month ago, the 25th Boys’ Brigade Band and Pipes took a trip to Norway to play in Korpsfest music festival in Bodø.  We were lucky enough to be a part of it, and what an experience it was!

After two flights we arrived north of the Arctic Circle, in a small rural community called Steigen, about an hour by fast boat north of Bodø. When we arrived in Steigen we thought ‘wow, this is a nice place’ as it was so peaceful and there were not many cars driving around. The scenery was extraordinary with clear waters and breathtaking mountains. Straight off the boat, we were welcomed with dinner put on by members of Steigens Glade Musikanter, the community wind band who had invited us to Norway.

Host families were kind enough to have us stay in their homes for the first two nights. They were so welcoming, friendly and gave us a taste of some unusual food such as elk and squid. At ‘night’ we stayed up to see the midnight sun which was a memorable event as it was something we’ve never experienced before. It was very beautiful, but also meant it was difficult to sleep!

During the daytime, we would meet up with the local band from Steigen and practise our pieces together. The band members were very friendly and made us feel at home and at ease. We would try now and then to speak a little bit of Norwegian, but most of them had good English so we spoke to them mostly in our own language. The highlight of our rehearsals was when we surprised SGM members by playing one of Norway’s favourite national songs, ‘Norway Red, White and Blue’ – bagpipes and band! They were amazed and very happy that we’d learnt it just for them!

On one of the days we toured around Engeløya and saw some WW2 sites. It was a memorable experience seeing what the bunkers at Batterie Dietl looked like and imagining how it might have felt for locals living there during the war. We were also shown around the museum and got to see the artillery and equipment the soldiers would have used in the war. 

After two days in Steigen, we headed south to Bodø to get ready for the festival. On the way to Bodø we stopped at two places – Straumen and Fauske – and performed a few tunes there. We drew crowds at both places and people seemed pleased that we’d stopped off at their towns to play. When we arrived at Bodø it was a lot busier, and there was a great atmosphere with lots of youth/school bands and musicians getting ready for the festival.  Everywhere we went, our bagpipers were the main attraction – with lots of people taking pictures of the pipers in their kilts! However, the rest of our travelling party was still pretty popular, too, and we all made lots of new friends whilst we were there.

The festival itself was amazing. Everywhere we went in Bodø was jam-packed with bands and crowds and it was such a fantastic experience. We weren’t expecting it to be so much fun and it felt such a privilege that we, a small group of 20 BB boys and six leaders from Dunblane, were able to be a part of it. 

One of the most enjoyable experiences with the band was playing in the Korpsfest concert as the concert hall we were playing in was very grand and it felt like we were so special having the opportunity to play there. 

On the second-last night of our trip all 27 bands taking part met up for a barbecue at the school where most were staying overnight. The food was amazing; they had things like burgers, barbecue ribs, hotdogs and much more. The barbecue was also an opportunity to meet new friends from the other bands. We had an international game of basketball and football with them, which was really good fun!. 

After lots of fun and lots of hard work, we had a wee treat on the last day.

We were fortunate enough to tour round the coast at Bodø and Saltstraumen, the world’s strongest tidal current, on a RIB tour! We saw some sea eagles up close and amazing scenery and geology and also had lots of fun speeding around the fjord at 50 knots! 

To be fair, there was a lot of marching and a lot of playing, so it was quite exhausting at times. We were very lucky with the weather and it was surprisingly sunny – a good job we packed woolly hats and thick jackets!  However, overall the trip was something we’ll never forget.

All but two of the band had never been to Norway before but lots of us hope this is the first trip of many. Lasting memories for us will be the dramatic landscape, unreal views, and such friendly people. The whole trip was amazing! I can’t wait to visit again – but in the meantime, we look forward to welcoming our friends from Steigens Glade Musikanter to Scotland in May 2026!

Steigen band, 25th Stirling Boys’ Brigade Band and Pipes