Events

BATH Tea Dance featuring Tyne Valley Big Band 14+

Sunday 13 July, 2.00pm

Join us for a special Brass Tea Dance at Bishop Auckland Town Hall!  Dance the afternoon away at this traditional social gathering with live music from the fantastic Tyne Valley Big Band, led by musical director Dave Hignett and accompanied by the fabulous vocals of Barbara Hignett.  No dancing experience necessary! Show us your moves […]

Barry Hyde and Durham Miners Association Brass Band perform "Miners' Ballads"

Monday 14 July, 7.00pm

The Futureheads’ frontman Barry Hyde, brings his deeply personal and evocative new solo album, Miners’ Ballads, to life in a special live performance. The album, commissioned by Sunderland City Council and Paul Emerson, is inspired by the rich coal mining heritage of the North East, with a particular focus on Sunderland and Washington. At the heart […]

Bill Ryder-Jones & NASUWT Riverside Band presents "Iechyd Da"

Tuesday 15 July, 7.30pm

Bill Ryder-Jones first rose to prominence as a founding member of The Coral, achieving number-one albums and earning a Mercury Prize nomination. Since then, he has carved out a remarkable solo career, releasing five critically acclaimed LPs, from his debut – an orchestral score inspired by Italo Calvino’s If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller – to […]

Durham Brass hosts BBC Radio 4 Loose Ends

Wednesday 16 July, 6.30pm

Writer and broadcaster, Stuart Maconie, will host Loose Ends from Redhills on Wednesday 16th July. In an episode celebrating music, comedy, and entertainment from and about the North East, this special Durham Brass Festival programme will be recorded in front of a live audience, from the heart of the festival. Be part of the programme, […]

Simon Armitage & LYR with Easington Colliery Brass Band present “Firm As A Rock We Stand”

Friday 18 July, 7.00pm

Durham Brass Festival hosts BBC Radio 4 The VerbSimon Armitage & LYR performing “Firm As A Rock We Stand”with Easington Colliery Brass BandPlus poetry presented by Ian McMillan Durham Brass Festival proudly presents a powerful restaging of Firm As A Rock We Stand, first presented at the festival at Durham Cathedral in 2022. Co-commissioned with the […]
Free event

Streets Of Brass - BRASS Festival 2025

Saturday 19 July, 10.00am

Durham City comes alive in July with some of the very best street bands from the UK and beyond in ‘Streets of Brass’. Bringing brass from across the nation and around the world to Durham, with fresh and non-traditional takes on what it means to be a brass band. There’s no need to book for […]
Free event
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BRASS Boat Cruises Mr Wilson's Second Liners

Saturday 19 July, 12.00pm

This year, Brass Festival will take over the streets…and the water too! Cruise along the River Wear on the Prince Bishop, with our fantastic street bands onboard. Enjoy a full licensed bar, wonderful music from Mr Wilson’s Second Liners playing two sets, gorgeous views of Durham city, and an atmosphere you won’t forget. Sail from […]

BRASS Boat Cruises Diddy Sweg

Saturday 19 July, 2.00pm

This year, Brass Festival will take over the streets…and the water too! Cruise along the River Wear on the Prince Bishop, with our fantastic street bands onboard. Enjoy a full licensed bar, wonderful music from Diddy Sweg playing two sets, gorgeous views of Durham city, and an atmosphere you won’t forget. Sail from the Boathouse […]

BRASS Boat Cruises - Brazen Brass Band

Saturday 19 July, 4.00pm

This year, Brass Festival will take over the streets…and the water too! Cruise along the River Wear on the Prince Bishop, with our fantastic street bands onboard. Enjoy a full licensed bar, wonderful music from Brazen Brass playing two sets, gorgeous views of Durham city, and an atmosphere you won’t forget. Sail from the Boathouse […]
Free event

Party In The Park - BRASS 2025

Saturday 19 July, 5.00pm

Get on your dancing shoes as our street bands bring the party to the park from 5pm to 9pm. The fantastic amphitheatre in Wharton Park provides a unique way to experience the high energy performances from the amazing street bands we have gathered from across the UK and beyond to perform at this year’s festival. […]
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Brassed On feat Faithful Johannes - Amateur Ornithologist - Liz Corney

Saturday 19 July, 7.00pm

A standout highlight of the Brass Festival, celebrating the incredible versatility of brass music by re-imagining it in fresh and exciting ways. This unique programme pairs Northeast artists with talented brass ensembles to create new music and take part in a unique and unforgettable performance. This year’s Brassed On artists include Liz Corney, musician and […]

NETOA Wurlitzer & Stanhope Silver Band present Brass & Pipes

Saturday 19 July, 7.00pm

Durham Brass Festival proudly partners with the North East Theatre Organ Association and Stanhope Silver Band to present a one-off, commissioned show entitled Brass and Pipes. This special show will bring together the unique sounds of the iconic Wurlitzer organ and brass band music at the New Victoria Centre in Howden le Wear, home of the […]
Free event

Streets Of Brass - BRASS Festival 2025

Sunday 20 July, 11.00am

Durham City comes alive in July with some of the very best street bands from the UK and beyond in ‘Streets of Brass’. Bringing brass from across the nation and around the world to Durham, with fresh and non-traditional takes on what it means to be a brass band. There’s no need to book for […]
Free event
More details

BRASS Boat Cruises Always Drinking Marching Band

Sunday 20 July, 11.00am

This year, Brass Festival will take over the streets…and the water too! Cruise along the River Wear on the Prince Bishop, with our fantastic street bands onboard. Enjoy a full licensed bar, wonderful music from Always Drinking Marching Band playing two sets, gorgeous views of Durham city, and an atmosphere you won’t forget. Sail from […]

BRASS Boat Cruises New York Brass Band

Sunday 20 July, 1.00pm

This year, Brass Festival will take over the streets…and the water too! Cruise along the River Wear on the Prince Bishop, with our fantastic street bands onboard. Enjoy a full licensed bar, wonderful music from New York Brass Band playing two sets, gorgeous views of Durham city, and an atmosphere you won’t forget. Sail from […]

The Fairey Band performing "Pictures at an Exhibition"

Sunday 20 July, 1.30pm

Experience one of the world’s finest brass bands like never before as The Fairey Band presents a breathtaking performance of Pictures at an Exhibition. This unique concert pairs a stunning brass arrangement of Mussorgsky’s masterpiece with mesmerising, animated interpretations, creating an unforgettable audiovisual experience. The animations, produced by Ion Concert Media in collaboration with the USC […]

BRASS Boat Cruises Das Brass

Sunday 20 July, 3.00pm

This year, Brass Festival will take over the streets…and the water too! Cruise along the River Wear on the Prince Bishop, with our fantastic street bands onboard. Enjoy a full licensed bar, wonderful music from Das Brass playing two sets, gorgeous views of Durham city, and an atmosphere you won’t forget. Sail from the Boathouse […]

The Fairey Band performing "Acid Brass"

Sunday 20 July, 7.30pm

For the first time at Durham BRASS Festival, The Fairey Band brings Acid Brass an unlikely but exciting fusion of Acid House anthems performed by traditional British brass band. Brainchild of British conceptual artist Jeremy Deller, Acid Brass explores the deep social and political connections between the brass band and Acid House movements. Since its inception the project has […]