Over the weekend the streets of Worcester will come alive to the sound of shawms, sackbuts, bagpipes and other early instruments, as the Guild of Town Pipers comes to town.

This biennial event which is organised by the guild brings together groups of musicians from across Europe who specialise in recreating the civic bands of Medieval and Renaissance Europe. These are known In England as Waites, in the Netherlands and Germany as Stadspijpers and in Italy as Piffari. These colourfully costumed musicians were employed by towns to provide music for public and civic events, celebrations and processions. Often, they would perform out of doors and their instruments were chosen to be loud enough to carry in the streets and town squares in the days before amplification.

The festival will see around 12 bands giving free performances around Worcester, including right here at Tudor House! For more information, see their website: TownWaits.