Square Day was instituted in 1980 by Dennis Pierce and Briar Hamilton,
members of the Manawatu Scottish Society Pipe Band. It had a small beginning
with only two bands, but has grown steadily and now has around twenty-four
entries. The venue, Palmerston North Square, is a lovely setting of 4 acres of park, in the centre of the city. It is always held on the second Saturday in December. It has a reputation amongst the bands, of being a relaxed and well run competition. Palmerston North is ideally situated to allow bands from Wellington to Hamilton to travel to the contest and be able to return home the same day. That does not prevent bands from Auckland, Christchurch and Australia from coming and staying the weekend. This year is the 29th Square day – quite a feat for a small organization such as ours. The main driving force behind the scene is Jenny Mair, still alive and kicking, who has devised a system and assembled a highly experienced team of about forty people to run the day.Use the buttons on the left to obtain information and entry forms for bands and solos. There is a map of the revamped square, which is easier to see when printed.