Whakatāne High School was filled with the sound of pipes and drums last weekend as bands from around the North Island gathered for the first Whakatāne pipe band event.

Bands travelled from Auckland, Tauranga, Te Puke and Kawerau to take part in the day, with about 200 people attending, including band members and supporters.

Organiser Graeme Erickson said the event went “better than we expected”, with plenty of positive feedback from bands, judges and members of the public.

The day began at 10am with a parade march, with each band following a planned route around the school sports field.

The bands then competed in different grades, performing marches, Strathspeys and reels before returning later in the day for medleys and performance pieces.

Eight judges travelled from around the North Island to judge the event, coming from as far away as Auckland and Levin.

There were judges for piping, drumming, drill and ensemble, with bands receiving written feedback as well as scores.

Erickson said the event had a strong festival atmosphere, with food, supporters and a steampunk group adding to the day.

People also travelled from around the North Island to watch the performances.

“It wasn't just locals, it was people from all over,” he said.

The Whakatāne band had the largest number of members at the event, with 25 band members.

Vale of Kawerau had a particularly successful day, taking home the Grade 4 title, most enjoyable performance piece, best in drill and the 4B Cup, as well as the best-dressed award.

City of Tauranga won Grade 2, while the Whakatāne band competed in the comments-only section as it continues to rebuild.

The event was created partly to give younger band members an opportunity to experience competition and see what opportunities were available in pipe banding.

It was also a chance for bands to come together outside of the regular competition calendar.

“Banding is just like a huge family, so we wanted to have a fun day for all the bands,” Erickson said.

The event has already been added to the pipe band calendar for next year, although a date not yet been set.

Organisers are looking at moving the event to around the middle of October, with some bands unable to attend this year because of the timing and other commitments.

Erickson said the high school venue worked well and had plenty of room for the event to grow.

The organisers hope next year's event will be “bigger and better”.