Often referred to as the greatest free show on earth, the annual Saddleworth & Tameside Whit Friday Brass Band Contests are there to be enjoyed by all. In a setting covering just a few square miles, the towns and villages play hosts to well over a hundred Brass Bands. Each location is a mini Brass Band Contest in its own right and the Bands zoom around on coaches with the aim of playing at as many contests as possible.
And last year there were twelve of these in Tameside and eleven in Saddleworth.
The Bands jump off their coaches and await a slot. They will then perform a short march up the street and be judged on deportment. Next, they stand close to where an adjudicator has been hidden inside a house or caravan even, and when signalled by a whistle will play their favourite Brass Band march. Then it’s run for the coach and off to the next contest.
The contests start between 4pm and 5pm and can finish as late as midnight.
A good night will see around 70 bands at a venue.
The Bands come from far and wide, often with visitors from Europe and occasionally from further afield such as New Zealand.
At each contest venue there is a small team of dedicated volunteers who start working towards next year’s contest as soon as this year’s is over. Thousands and thousands of pounds have to be raised in order to keep these contests going. So all year you will see concerts and raffles and programmes and dinners and knocking on doors just for this one night. But what a night.
As with any outdoor event it’s the weather that can keep the crowds away but the Bands play on....and we’ve had our fair share of rain, hail and snow.
As Whitsun is tied to Easter, this year Whit Friday will be as early as it gets which means it will be going dark earlier and the venues will need their floodlights.
The Dobcross venue is one of the most picturesque. Sat on a very small village green surrounded by trees and the village cottages it is no wonder Dobcross has been used in several films and television dramas.
For a map of Dobcross please click here.
To see a copy of the Dobcross Whit Friday Band Contest rules please click here.