WHO WE ARE
Based in Sandy, Utah, the Utah Pipe Band is a group of musicians throughout the state who celebrate Scottish and Celtic heritage by playing the great Highland bagpipes and drums. The band frequently performs with Highland dancers from the Barclay School of Highland Dance in Lehi, Utah. We pride ourselves on being a group where people of any cultural background can learn and play the pipes and drums. Our motto, "Act well thy part," reflects our belief that the individual talents and accomplishments of our members strengthen the band and contribute to our success.
WHAT WE DO
The Utah Pipe Band performs throughout the year for community events, military and first-responder ceremonies, holidays, graduations, and private events such as funerals and weddings.​ We consider our performances at these events to be of the greatest importance and are honored to share our talents with our neighbors.​
The UPB currently has three competition bands: a juvenile band (for those aged 18 years and younger) and two adult bands, divided by skill level. Each helps our musicians to sharpen their abilities and put them to the test at competitions, which typically take place at Scottish festivals and Highland games. Pipers, drummers, drum majors, and dancers can also participate in solo competitions to receive personalized feedback from experienced judges.​
 The UPB in Springdale, Utah, in 2025. |  The UPB in Hawaii, 2022. The band had been invited to perform for the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. |  A Highland dancer from the Barclay School of Highland Dance performs with the Utah Pipe Band in 2026. |
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 The UPB performs in the Salt Lake Tabernacle in 2026. |  The UPB and Barclay School of Highland Dance in Normandy, France, 2024. The band had been invited to perform for the 80th anniversary of the 1944 D-Day invasion of France during the Second World War. |  The UPB and the Barclay School of Highland Dance perform for WWII veterans in Normandy, France, 2024. The band had been invited to perform for the 80th anniversary of the 1944 D-Day invasion of France during the Second World War. |
 The UPB performs a September 11th tribute with the Marching Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium during halftime at a football game between the University of Utah and Utah State University in 2015. |
OUR TARTANS
The Utah Pipe Band has proudly worn the Spirit of Utah tartan since 2024. Our dancers with the Barclay School of Highland Dance wear the Erskine Black & White tartan.
Tartan is cloth with a design made of two or more colors that form a pattern by intersecting each other horizontally and vertically. Scottish tartan is traditionally woven from wool. The pattern featured on a tartan may represent and identify members of certain family groups (or "clans"), nations, organizations and other groups. Tartan is most famously used to make traditional Scottish clothing, such as the kilt.
Spirit of Utah tartan
Erskine Black & White tartan
The colors of the Spirit of Utah tartan were inspired by the flag of Utah — white for the snowcapped mountains that have long cradled the area's tribal nations; red for the red-rock canyons in the south; dark blue for the skies and lakes; and gold for the bee skep or "beehive," Utah's state emblem. The light blue is inspired by the flag of Scotland and represents the state's Scottish community. Though designed by the UPB and adopted as its tartan in 2024, the Spirit of Utah tartan is meant for anyone to wear, whether they're representing our state or simply love the design. Our kilts are expertly woven from new British wool by Lochcarron of Scotland.
A Utah Pipe Band piper wearing the Spirit of Utah tartan.
Highland dancers wear the Erskine Black & White tartan while performing with the Utah Pipe Band.
The Erskine Black & White tartan is worn by our dancers in honor of the Erskine family, one of the first families to join the Utah Pipe Band in 1937. Originally from Ayrshire, Scotland, the Erskines relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah, early in 1915. Among their close friends in Scotland was Robert S. Barclay, a future cofounder of the UPB. Barclay and the Erskines had hoped to emigrate to the United States together, but Barclay's financial situation did not allow him to leave Scotland at the time. In 1916, Barclay was drafted into the British Army and was badly wounded during the First World War. He survived and was finally reunited with the Erskines in Salt Lake City after the war. George Campbell Erskine — Barclay's close friend since childhood — eventually had children who became some of the UPB's first Highland dancers and performed in the band alongside Barclay's children.
Learn more about tartan and its history from The Scottish Tartans Authority, or browse a vast selection of tartans registered with The Scottish Register of Tartans.
CHECK IT OUT!
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