Watch the wonderful European Brass Band Festival in Birmingham until bank holiday Sunday

The European Brass Band Festival is set to be the biggest event of its kind to take place in the UK in many years, with over 70 bands set to perform across four days in Birmingham.

The event, which takes place from 28 April - 1 May, will feature a free Outdoor Stage in Birmingham’s Centenary Square, showcasing a diverse range of brass groups and ensembles.

The Outdoor Stage will provide UK community bands with the chance to perform alongside some of the top international bands featured in the Festival, and will also showcase the European Youth Brass Band - a collaboration of young people from across the Europe.

The return of the festival to the heart of England offers the opportunity to showcase the full diversity of the genre to a new audience, and the additional funding from Arts Council England for nationally significant projects will enable a new audience to discover the depth and quality of brass bands in the UK.

Showcasing everything that the activity of brass banding has to offer, audience members will be asked to share their experiences of the Outdoor Stage on the hashtag #ThisIsBanding.

You can stil catch the free Outdoor Stage from 10am to 6pm on Saturday 30 and Sunday 1 May in Centenary Square, Birmingham.

Michael Kilroy, Chair of Brass Bands England says: “So this weekend is the 43rd European brass band Festival, which incorporates the European Brass Band Competition. Part of that, of course, we’ve got these extra events going on.

“We’ve got the European Youth Brass Band, and about twenty other artists performing outside of the Symphony Hall in Centenary Square just right here. And then we are using the Town Hall - we had the Royal Marines and the National Youth Band of Great Britain last night.

“And then from Saturday morning at nine o’clock, we have a series of competitions that run all the way through to Sunday evening. And then of course, the thing that everybody wants to hear is the results, then we’re going to have a party!”

Sarah Baumann, Project Manager of Brass Bands England says: “So this has been the result of an Arts Council England National Project’s bid, which has been amazing. It has been a quite a tight turnaround, getting all this together. We only found out about a month ago, that we’re going to be able to do this.

“But it’s to take everything that’s going on, all the amazing bands that are playing in Symphony Hall, and bring it outside to Birmingham as well. So it was all about diversifying what we do. And making sure that as many people as possible could be a part of the festival, even if they had never heard a brass band before.”

Amy Paterson, Solo Tenor Horn of Black Dyke Band says: “I’m really looking forward to the concert today. It’s a lot nicer weather than yesterday anyway. But yeah, I’m just looking forward to the weekend ahead and getting to hear all the bands as well.

“Yeah, it’s been great. I mean, we’ve had lovely staff with us all week as well. And I mean, especially for the people that are here from other countries. I think they’ve really been welcomed in and it’s just been lovely”

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