Vale United Pipe Band

Vale United Pipe Band is a Grade 3 competition pipe band based in the beautiful Okanagan Valley located in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Our goal is to compete at a high level and promote
piping and drumming within our communities and beyond.
The band is currently a member of the Fraser Valley Pipe Band Society and continues the legacy of competition bands before it: Grade 2 Chilliwack & District Pipe Band, Fraser Valley Youth Pipe Band, and the Grade 1 Abbotsford Police Pipe Band. A number of the current members of the V.U.P.B played in the afore-mentioned bands in the past.
After relocating to the Okanagan, long-time Fraser Valley residents and local pipers Doug Bird and Eric Froese formed a band that in 2018 became the Vale United Pipe Band. Now some 7 years later the band is comprised of as many as 18 pipers, 9 snare drummers, 4 tenor drummers and a bass drummer.
Indicative of the name of the band Vale United (Valley United) the most recent band members come from a myriad of valleys, flats and hills across Western Canada including Yellowknife, NWT, Calgary, Alberta, Nelson, BC in the Kootenays and Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley communities, even one member from Texas, USA.
Proudly wearing the Ancient Weathered MacPherson tartan, the band is led by P/M Doug Bird and L/D Grant Maxwell. The local members of the band practice weekly and all members including the not so local meet monthly for full weekend practices.
In 2024 the band traveled to the Chicago Highland Games and managed to earn the Mid-American Champions title for Grade 3.
In 2025 the band will compete in not so local Highland Games, the BC Pipers Association Indoor Contest, Victoria Highland Games, ScotFestBC, and our hometown Penticton Scottish Festival as well the band will travel to Maxville, Ontario to compete in the Glengarry Highland Games for the Grade 3 North American Championship.
Our friendly pipe band is always happy to extend an invitation to interested and keen pipers and drummers to join our family and help us compete and support our Celtic communities.

submitted by Eric Froese

“The BC Pipers’ Association wishes the Vale United Pipe Band every success on your musical journey- may your music speak the universal language that knows no borders, as you compete at the North American Championships in Maxville Ontario August 2, 2025! Good Luck!”