Aiming to mark its 20th year, the Durham Brass Festival is urged to keep expanding to safeguard the region’s brass heritage for future generations, according to a longtime band manager.
Next year the festival returns, celebrating two decades of performances, street music, and community activities across Durham and its surroundings.
Tony Thompson, band manager and player with the NASUWT Riverside Brass Band, has been part of the festival since its 2006 inception. The 69-year-old from Chester-le-Street emphasizes that the event helps prevent the brass band tradition from fading away.
"Brass bands originally grew as a pastime for miners, and as mines shut in the mid-1980s, brass bands began to decline due to reduced support," he explains. "Over time, the festival has filled that gap and opened new avenues for brass groups to explore."
Durham County Council stages the festival, which runs from 12 to 19 July and features performances across streets, parks, historic sites, care homes, and schools.
Karen Allison, the cabinet member for leisure, tourism, regeneration and high streets, notes that the first Durham Brass Festival in 2006 drew inspiration from the brass band tradition seen at the Durham Miners’ Gala. Since then, she says, it has grown into a broad celebration of music, heritage, culture, and community.
Mr. Thompson says the festival blends the old and the new, highlighting the county’s historic brass roots while presenting contemporary expressions.
"We now have far fewer brass bands than in the past, so maintaining our heritage matters," he adds. "What people typically see—a brass band playing in a park or at the Miners’ Gala—is just one aspect; this festival offers a different perspective."
The festival has hosted collaborations that pair traditional brass bands with headline acts such as Simon Armitage, LYR, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Richard Hawley, and Public Service Broadcasting.
The NASUWT Riverside Band, a 28-piece ensemble including 25 brass players and three percussionists, has contributed for 16 years. Founded in 1875, it is among the oldest bands in northern England and rehearses in Pelton Fell, a former mining village.
Thompson, who previously served as principal cornet, notes the festival has opened numerous opportunities for the band, including performing with Richard Hawley and Public Service Broadcasting at Durham Cathedral, contributing to the North East Culture Award-winning performance in 2024, taking part in a Copenhagen live broadcast, and appearing in The Miners’ Hymns, a 2010 film about the Durham coalfields.
Yet, behind all the accolades, his primary joy remains simply playing music.
"Playing in a brass band benefits mental health and physical well-being. It’s mentally demanding and physically strenuous, but also incredibly rewarding," he says.
Durham County Council is seeking acts for Brassed On, a showcase for emerging artists. Interested musicians are invited to submit an online form at external (https://brassfestival.co.uk/).
Headlining acts for the 2026 Durham Brass Festival are expected to be announced in the spring.
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