[UPDATE: next Whit Friday date added: 13th June 2025]

While I've been finishing off my reviews of the Eurovision 2024 Grand Final acts, it occurred to me that the *other* competitive music event that I like to geek out over happens this week, and that perhaps it's worth a few words in this blog. What am I talking about? It's the annual Whit Friday march contests. I'm fascinated by this because it's such a local and specific cultural phenomenon, something genuinely unique, and something I've participated in before as a player, albeit 3 decades ago.

If you've never heard of this event (or rather, collection of events) it definitely needs some explaining, and so that's what this post is for. I've adapted some text that I wrote a few years back in order to explain these contests to my choir friends. That means it was originally aimed at a musically knowledgeable audience who aren't familiar with brass bands, but honestly you don't need to be a massive music geek to read it. So here goes, brass band n00bs, this is my attempt to explain what on earth it's all about.

Whit Friday contests: the basics

When?

Every Whit Friday (In 2025, Whit Friday is 13th June). Some bands take part in traditional Whitsuntide religious processions in the morning (aka the Whit Walks). These processions are distinct from the march contests, that generally begin around 4pm, and take final registrations around 10pm. The final bands will have stopped playing by midnight.

Where?

Just East of the city of Manchester in the UK, in two main areas which aren't that far from each other: Tameside and Saddleworth. Each village in each area holds its own independent contest, although they do club together to provide overall area prizes. Saddleworth is further into the hills so is perhaps a bit more picturesque.

What?

Brass bands compete against others by playing march tunes in multiple open-air contests. Bands come from near and far, moving from one contest to the next. Visitors can just pick a contest and wait for the bands to come to them while they watch, listen, and maybe have something to eat or drink.

Why?

I think Whit Friday should be on every music fan's bucket list, because of its unique and local nature. I've not come across a similar spectacle anywhere else. But if you want more reasons why this annual tradition deserves to be sustained with pride, I'd suggest:

Some of the world's most skillful music-makers take part: literal national and world champions compete here.
It shows off the depth and variety of the brass band scene, with so many types of people and a wide range of skill levels represented. Bands represent villages, schools, universities, military units, industrial companies and even just goups of friends.
Unlike lots of other brass band contests, the tunes being played are relatively short, and the bands' musical directors have significant freedom to choose which pieces they play. If you don't like one band or tune, just wait a few minutes, there'll be another one along soon!
It's a fun day out for visitors, with a festival atmosphere. All the contests are free to just turn up, listen and watch as you please.

Brighouse & Rastrick on the march in 2019. Photo from 4barsrest.com

The bands and their music

If you've read this far, you're probably keen for a bit more detail:

All the contests are march contests in two parts: each band first plays while marching down the main street, then they play a march while stationary.
While playing on the move, bands are judged mainly on how smartly they can march. There's generally complete freedom in what music you play, and how many players you are allowed.
The stationary performance is much more regulated. You have to play a published march and provide the adjudicator with a copy. No more than 25 players can take part, and percussion instruments are not allowed. It's adjudicated blind my someone in a nearby building, or maybe a tent or caravan.
The contests normally make someone official walk ahead of the marching band with a placard showing the band’s name, plus the name of a march tune. Perhaps confusingly, that name refers to the piece they’re about to play whilst stationary, not what they’re playing on the move.
Ironically the stationary bit of each march contest generally carries the most prestige and has the most prize money available.
Bands have varying tactics. Some common approaches are:

Traditional: 2 British Army-style marches, one easy for playing on the move, one harder, in order to show off while playing stationary. The winning bands still typically do this, e.g. Black Dyke, Fairey, Brighouse & Rastrick.
Deportment: focus on marching, e.g. perfect uniforms and organisation, baton twirling, counter-marching. Examples: Band Of The King's Division or some of the youth / student bands (e.g. Wardle).
Just for fun: play something silly on the move (probably in fancy dress, possibly not even a march) and then probably something traditional while stationary. Quite a few scratch bands do this and treat the whole day out as a chauffeured pub crawl.
Foreigners on tour: there's normally some representation from other strong brass banding countries (Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands, Norway) playing unfamiliar tunes and wearing national dress.

There aren’t actually that many fiendishly difficult traditional marches that the best bands can show off with, so I wouldn't blame you if you found yourself getting a bit bored of hearing tunes like “Knight Templar”, “Ravenswood”, “Mephistopheles” and “The Wizard” over and over again in the stationary performances.
The brass band scene is heavily focussed on contesting during the rest of the year too, and so most bands will already be classified in a “section” like in sports leagues: Championship, then 1st-4th sections. There are often separate prizes for each section.
There's one contest in Saddleworth, namely Friezland, that doesn't accept entries from bands in the Championship, 1st or 2nd sections, thereby giving lower section and youth bands more opportunity to participate.
The competing bands play particular types of instrument specific to the British-style brass band tradition. The trombones are just like the ones you'd see in an orchestra or jazz band, but the rest are conical-bore instruments. This means trumpets are out as they are straight-bore - instead the players use cornets. Most bands have 4 tubas, but the convention is to call them "basses", and they come in pairs, two in the key of Eb and two lower-sounding ones in the key of Bb. A flugelhorn, tenor horns, baritones and euphoniums fill in the middle.

To be clear: Whit Friday is definitely not on May the fourth...

Practicalities: a visitor's guide

If you plan to come, do check out the maps provided on the Saddleworth and Tameside websites for more information about locations. In particular, don't expect to simply rock up in a car using a satnav - there will be loads of road closures in effect and parking will likely be difficult unless you arrive very early.
If you want to use public transport, you can reach some of the Tameside contests using the Metrolink Ashton Line or rail services to Hyde or Stalybridge. For Saddleworth the only real public transport option is Greenfield train station.
The bands drive around in coaches all day and enter each contest on a first-come first-served basis. Spectators can therefore just stay put! As the evening progresses at each venue there'll be a running order of all the bands that have registered and are waiting to play.
It's feasible to walk between some of the contests if you want to experience different venues.
You can confidently expect there to be food, drink, and toilets at every contest. It's probably a good idea to make sure you have some cash with you as a back up too.
There might be the odd place undercover, but the contests are mostly open-air. Check the weather and come prepared!
Don't expect to find out any of the contest results on the night. With the final bands playing until midnight in many locations, that means the contest organisers still have lots of admin to do into the early hours of the morning compiling, double-checking and publishing the results and prize lists. Non-obsessive brass band fans are better off getting a good night's sleep and checking either 4barsrest.com or the Saddleworth & Tameside websites the next day.
If you've never been before and want my recommendations for which contests to visit, here are some suggestions:

I recommend going to the Saddleworth area, taking the train out to Greenfield.
Greenfield itself has a very long main street so it's great for watching the actual marching. The acoustic for the stationary contest is not great though (a wide open space in a noisy park)
Uppermill is a leisurely walk from Greenfield station and has a nice balance: reasonable length marching stretch down the high street and a nice acoustic for the stationary performances (behind some buildings with some walls for the sound to bounce off)
Friezland is also a short-ish walk from Greenfield station. It has a ridiculously short marching section, but has a lovely cosy feel because it attracts so many lower section and youth bands. The acoustic for the stationary contest isn't bad either (the sound can bounce off the adjacent church hall) and you'll probably be able to grab a seat too.
Lydgate is a nice walking excursion from Friezland as long as you don't mind the climb - the route is mostly on a main road with a nice pavement but you'll definitely have earned a pint once you get to the pub that hosts the contest, the White Hart Inn. It's a short marching stretch, the acoustic for the stationary performances is OK, but the real advantage of this contest is the view from the top of the hill when the weather's good. Get yourself a pint of mild and take in the view while listening to the music! Also, you get a nice downhill walk afterwards 😉
It's quite a walk away from Greenfield station, but if that's your thing (or if you're driving) and you care about the acoustics of the stationary contest, Delph is the best I've heard personally. The bands play in between stone buildings that provide a beautiful echo: just enough to flatter the players, but not so much that the details get lost.
Finally, if you just haven't got the time or effort spare to make it out to Saddleworth, you can hop on the Manchester Metrolink, take the Ashton line and get off at Droylsden or Audenshaw to get your brass fix at the Droyslden contest in Tameside.

Well that's quite enough for now, I hope that was interesting or possibly even helpful. Maybe see you there?

Big Blue Flash

Whit Friday brass band contests: an explainer