2028 European Brass Band Championships come to Birmingham

The European Brass Band Association has announced that the 2028 European Brass Band Championships will be held in Birmingham.

Although it was reported in January that Brass Bands England would no longer be the host organisation for the 2028 EBBC, there has been strong positive interest and support to stick to the original idea to make it Birmingham for the 50th anniversary event.

Booking for the last weekend of April 2028 has now been reinstated with B:Music, the charity responsible for Birmingham Symphony Hall. The event will be organisationally and financially undertaken by EBBA with support from a private sponsor who wants to support the EBBC in England for the anniversary.

“We are extremely pleased and thankful for the strong, engaging and encouraging feedback from the EBBA member countries, other possible host organisations and cities, the bands and other stakeholders we have been in dialogue with during this process,” says Ulf Rosenberg, president of the European Brass Band Association.

“We will now see the event happen in the ‘motherland’ of banding for the anniversary event.”

Chris Proctor, head of programme at B:Music in Birmingham, commented: “We’re delighted to be working with the EBBA to host the championships at Symphony Hall in 2028.

“Having previously hosted the event in 2022, to have the opportunity to bring the championships back to Birmingham – and to the UK – as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations was too good to miss.”

Next year's championships will be held in Montreux, Switzerland.