European Brass Band Championships to Return to London for 50th Anniversary

BBE Announce UK Return for the European Championships in 2028

The European Brass Band Championships are set to return to the UK in 2028. The event which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, will be hosted in London between the 23rd and 30th April 2028.

The announcement was made following the European Brass Band Association (EBBA) Annual General Meeting in May, where Brass Bands England (BBE) secured the hosting rights after a successful bid.

In a nostalgic twist, the Championships, which first took place at the Royal Albert Hall in 1978, will now be held at London’s Southbank Centre. This iconic location will host performances across its various spaces, including the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell Room.

A Community-Focused Celebration

In addition to the main competition, a broader programme of events is being planned, aimed at engaging audiences of all ages and interests with the world of brass bands. This includes a community festival designed to offer numerous opportunities for discovering and enjoying brass band music.

The successful bid to host a prestigious European event, is the second achieved by the BBE team, having successfully secured hosting the European Brass Band Festival in 2022 in Birmingham.

Mike Kilroy, Chair of BBE, expressed his excitement about the 2028 event:

"We had a fantastic time in Birmingham in 2022 and we’d like to thank EBBA for placing their trust in us once again. This time around we have the luxury of planning time, and we’re looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together as a sector to bring brass banding in front of a wider audience.

This will be a huge event for the brass banding community and I can’t wait for you to be a part of it!”

Praise for BBE and Future Plans

EBBA President Ulf Rosenberg also commended BBE for their handling of the 2022 Championships in Birmingham, especially under the challenging circumstances brought about by the pandemic. He remarked:

The EBBA Committee was impressed on how BBE was able to handle the organisation of the EBBC in 2022 in Birmingham on such short notice after the initial challenges of the pandemic.

We are excited about the prospect of an accessible and community-focused festival taking place around the action within the concert venues in London, South Bank.

BBE is an ambitious and forward-looking organisation and we're looking forward to working with them again to welcome visitors from all over the world to come to the original homeland of the brass band.

Plans in Progress

The programme for the 2028 Championships will be developed in consultation with the UK banding sector, allowing everyone to share their ideas and preferences. Details on how to submit feedback will be announced at The Brass Band Conference in London on October 19, 2024, with the consultation process continuing online thereafter.

The countdown to 2028 begins! This promises to be a landmark event in the brass banding world, celebrating the rich heritage and vibrant future of brass music in the UK and beyond.