What's new

To celebrate the upcoming Volunteers' Week, we're holding a special Unsung Hero Awards.

Following positive feedback from both participating bands and audiences, Youth Champs will once again be taking place at King Edward's School on Saturday 17 April 2027.

We're pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Baumann as Interim Chief Executive Officer, following a successful transitionary leadership period led by Nigel Stevens from January to the end of April 2026.

As part of a wider project funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund, Brass Bands England (BBE) are excited to announce three available filming and editing projects available for expressions of interest.

Brass Band Week and Proms in the Playground are back! If you love brass banding as much as we do, then it’s time to shout about it!

On Tuesday 14 April, on the invitation of Brass Bands England (BBE) a group of MPs gathered in Westminster to show their support for brass banding in the UK.

Following the success of its inaugural year, which saw all seven participants graduate with Distinction, our Future Leaders’ Programme is open for 2026/27 course applications.

The Brass in Concert Championships, working in partnership with principal partner World of Brass and headline sponsors Yamaha and Banks Group, is back for 2026 with an unmissable weekend of top-tier performances at The Glasshouse International Centre

Drum and Brass CIC has successfully secured £23,888.00 from Arts Council England to deliver the third year of its flagship event, Brass at the Castle - now rebranded as Cumbria’s Big Brass Weekend.

Dates have been announced for our two national summer campaigns: Brass Band Week and Proms in the Playground.

Two highly regarded pieces have been announced for this year’s Brass Band Conductors’ Association (BBCA) conducting competition semi-final.

Brass Bands England (BBE) is intending on ensuring ‘Brass Banding’ is included in the newly launched UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory, and is seeking comments and feedback from members and the wider sector before the submission deadline.

The Brass Band Conductors' Association (BBCA) is delighted to announce the 2026 edition of our flagship Conducting Competition.

Brass bands are invited to blow the cobwebs off their marches and showcase their summer sound as Bold as Brass returns to the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield on Saturday 23 May 2026.

What do we need to do to apply for the BBE-Held BOPA?

With only a few days left to go until UniBrass 2026, here's everything you need to know. UniBrass will be presenting a one-of-a-kind Gala Concert to close out the day, headlined by world-famous trumpeter Louis Dowdeswell, alongside the City of Cardif

Some fantastic news has come from the Brass Bands England (BBE) Fundraising Service, which has announced that banding calendar favourite Bandamonium has secured Arts Council England funding.

Brass Bands England (BBE) has announced an updated offer for its award-winning Brass Foundations Programme.

Brass Bands England (BBE) has launched five new Momentum Hub resources designed to support young people embarking on freelance careers.

Brass in Concert (BiC) and Brass Bands England (BBE) are delighted to announce a new concert collaboration that will see Cory Band, winners of Brass in Concert 2024, present a special performance the day after BBE’s Youth Championships.

Brass Bands England (BBE), in partnership with the European Brass Band Association (EBBA), today announces that England will no longer be the host country for the 2028 European Brass Band Championships (EBBC), which had been scheduled to take place i

With returns to band rehearsals and the Regionals upon us, now is the perfect time to register for one of Brass Bands England’s (BBE) training events taking place from February right up until the end of the season.

Join Brass Bands England and expert guest for a special one-off webinar. The weeks before the Area Contests is a stressful time, even more so when compounded with performance anxiety. To provide support for players during this time, Brass Bands Engla

Brass Bands England (BBE) is inviting volunteers to be part of the UK’s largest youth brass band event, Youth Champs 2026. Taking place on Saturday 28 March at King Edward’s School, Birmingham, the day will see 42 bands and more than 2,000 young peop

Welcome to our new website!

It’s been a tremendous 18-months for Burbage Band (Buxton) and their ambitious project, ‘Burbage Works’, which received £36,885 in funding after the band utilised Brass Bands England’s member exclusive Fundraising Service.

In November 2025, an updated Code of Fundraising Practice was launched for all charitable fundraising in the UK. This includes activity by charities, community groups and volunteer-led organisations. If your band raises money through concerts, raffle

The Brass Band Conductors’ Association (BBCA) is proud to announce that it has officially become a registered charity, a major milestone that strengthens the organisation’s ability to support, develop and champion brass band conducting across the UK

BBCA is delighted to welcome two new Area Reps to the Exec. Brett Baker and Harry Weir are now representing the BBCA in Wales and West of England respectively.

In September we let you know that we were pausing BBE’s DBS service in order to move to a new system designed to make life simpler for bands, reduce paperwork and ensure your members can get on with making music.

For the past five years, Paul White has been the repiano cornet with the world-renowned Foden’s Band. In this interview Paul shares his musical journey and personal highlights with Leeds Best of Brass.

Over 150 individuals representing more than 50 bands came together on Saturday 27 September at Durham Miners Hall for The Brass Band Conference 2025: The Next Generation.

On Sunday 21st September Ripon City band invited guests to gather in celebration of the official opening of a new home base - their own band room in the village of Melmerby. Previously a ethodist chapel, now with a new lease of life, and music ahead

The Brass Bands England Awards recognise individuals and organisations that have made an exceptional contribution to the world of brass banding. This year the Awards were presented during a special ceremony today, Saturday 27 September, at this year’

Seven emerging youth music leaders from across the UK have graduated with Distinction from the pilot year of the Brass Foundations Future Leaders Programme (FLP)

We have released a practical new guide created for UK-based brass bands heading overseas.

We're marking the halfway point of the Challenge 2030 initiative - a long-term commitment to embed Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) across the brass banding movement.

We’re back for Series Two! Kenny Crookston and Sarah Baumann are back in the studio after a whirlwind year that included a buzzing Brass Band Conference in London, a record-breaking Youth Champs in Hull, and, of course, a vibrant Youth Fest in North

Be part of the UK’s biggest youth brass band celebration. Band registration is now open for the 2026 National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain (Youth Champs), the UK’s flagship event for young brass musicians.

We’re changing how we process DBS checks. From 1 November 2025, Brass Bands England will be moving to a new system that will reduce waiting times from weeks to just a few days.

Rule adjustments for Youth Champs 2025 and 2026

Financial how-to guides for bands: roles, accounting systems and best-practice procedures

The organisers of the Brass in Concert Championships have announced important changes to the governance of the leading entertainment contest.

There’s just over three months left until Brass in Concert returns to The Glasshouse International Centre for Music on the 15 and 16 of November, for an unmissable weekend of top-tier performances.

Katrina Marzella-Wheeler was a guest adjudicator at this year’s BBCA flagship Conducting Competition.

Bands using the BBE BOPA service should be aware of new safeguarding measures being introduced by the DfE from 1 July 2025.

Tickets for the UK’s premier brass band entertainment event, Brass in Concert, are now on sale.

Sara Maganzini wins the BBCA Conducting Competition

Youth Fest welcomes young players to North London’s flagship arts venue

Free cashless donation tool for bands.

We are seeking a motivated and dynamic individual who is passionate about brass banding's future to join our Board of Trustees as the Treasurer.

Martin Green to headline Brass Band Conference - tickets now available

Following an incredible response from the brass band community, we can now announce the full shortlist for the Brass Bands England Awards 2025.

BBCA Conducting Competition 2025 semi-finalists revealed. The Brass Band Conductors’ Association has announced its ten outstanding semi-finalists selected for the 2025 BBCA Conducting Competition - the organisation's premier annual event.

Brass at the Seaside returns to St Anne’s Bandstand, Lytham, across Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 July 2025

Lights, Camera, Action! A feast of TV and film music, performed by Elland Silver Band, brings us to the thrilling climax of the 2025 Brass Band Conductors’ Association Conducting Competition. Gala Concert tickets now available!

Today, Saturday 29 March, the National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain, Youth Champs 2025, welcomed a record 40 bands to Hymers College in Hull to perform at this important national event for youth banding.

Before installing a small BBE display at The National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield, Heritage Project Coordinator Sue Pope delves into the much-discussed connections between mining, brass bands, contests and galas

This blog explores the records the Brass Bands Archive hold relating to Wingates band, giving you a snapshot of the history of Wingates band and stories of resilience and triumph.

In this blog, we’re delving into the rich history of St Hilda Colliery Band through the records held in the Brass Bands Archive.

Welcome to our latest blog, written by our Archivist Danielle, which explores three giants of Brass Band music publishing.

Brass Bands England (BBE) has today revealed the winners of this year’s Brass Bands England Awards. The awards recognise individuals and organisations that have made an exceptional contribution to the world of brass banding.

We are excited to be Explore Your Archive’s current spotlight, a digital exhibition space showcasing the Archive and its collections

Welcome to a new instalment in our series dedicated to exploring the fascinating contents of the Brass Bands Archive.

This is another brilliant blog which is part of a series of articles exploring the Brass Bands Archive, written by some of our volunteers and the Archive team

This blog briefly explores a handful of the women, and their music we are lucky enough to hold within the Archive.

What is governance and why is it important?