The NWT Pipe Band is a Grade Four recreational pipe and drum band which makes its home in the city of Yellowknife on the shores of Great Slave Lake in the sub-arctic region of Canada’s Northwest Territories. The NWT Pipe Band has the distinction of being Canada’s most northerly highland pipe band at 62º 27' N, edging out the Midnight Sun Pipe Band from Whitehorse, Yukon for this frosty distinction!

The Northwest Territorial Pipe Band was formed in 1976 and originally known as the Yellowknife Pipe Band Association. In 1978, the Yellowknife Pipe Band Association voted to change the band’s name to reflect its wider geographical scope.  The NWT Pipe Band is a non-profit society established under the NWT Societies Act.  Each fall, the band executive – including the Pipe Major and Drum Major – is elected at the band’s annual general meeting.

There have been many high points over the course of the past 40 years, such as performing for

·         Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, during their visit to Yellowknife in 2012;

·         Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Yellowknife in 1994;

·         Her Majesty, Queen Margrethe II, the Queen of Denmark, when Greenland celebrated home rule in 1978; and

·         His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, at the opening of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife in 1978; 

The band plays at numerous community events throughout the year, such as Remembrance Day services, Yellowknife’s Canada Day Parade and the Float Plane Fly In. The band also plays at various fundraising events, such as the Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes and the Relay for Life, and sporting events, including curling bonspiels and the biannual Arctic Winter Games.

 The Northwest Territorial Pipe Band does offer lessons for beginners in piping and in drumming.  It also welcomes persons who may not be beginners but are out of practice.  

The highlight of the year is the band’s annual Robbie Burns Dinner and Dance held the last Saturday of January. It’s a welcome diversion from -30ºC to -40ºC temperatures!

Many of the pipers and drummers who have worn the Northwest Territorities’ distinctive tartan of yellow-orange, green, white and blue were actually trained by the band. This is necessary for the survival of the band, given the isolated location of Yellowknife (it is a 1,513 kilometre drive from Edmonton, Alberta). However, this makes for an interesting mix of players. The band currently consists of 10 pipers and six drummers. We also have a number of piping and drumming students.

You can learn more about the NWT Pipe Band in this documentary prepared by NWTPB piping student Brandon Marsh.