The organisers of the Brass in Concert Championships have announced the cancellation of the 2020 festival due to be held on the weekend of the 14th/15th November.

It is the first of the three Autumn major championship contests to announce its cancellation due to the ongoing uncertainty over the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequences it poses for both participants and audience members.

Best interests

Brass in Concert Chairman, David Bennett told 4BR: "Planning for the Brass in Concert Festival is a very complex operation for the organising team and Sage Gateshead staff, but for the bands taking part it requires considerably more focus over a long period than many other contests.

We have taken the decision to cancel the 2020 Festival with the best interests of these bands uppermost in our minds, but also recognising that attending any events could be very challenging for our loyal audience members in the coming months.

Because of the Covid-19 crisis and the subsequent loss of regular income, finance is going to be critical for all bands and we hope that making the decision at this time will help some of them in planning their attendance at other major events currently scheduled for later this year."

Not taken lightly

He continued: "This is the first year that Brass in Concert will not have been held since the event began in 1977, so it is a decision that has not been taken lightly.

The organising team investigated every option in attempting to stage the event this year.

However, with so many elements needing to come together to create a successful event and the countless challenges currently being faced, we ultimately decided that it was in the best interests of all stakeholders to call this year's Brass in Concert Festival off and focus on making next year's as successful as possible."

This is the first year that Brass in Concert will not have been held since the event began in 1977, so it is a decision that has not been taken lightlyBrass in Concert Championship

2021

David concluded: "This is obviously an extremely difficult time for everyone. We send our best wishes to everyone in the world of brass bands and hope that we can welcome as many of our Brass in Concert 'regulars' as possible, as well as those new to the event, to Sage Gateshead on the weekend of 20th/21st November 2021.

We will be working tirelessly until then to ensure that the 2021 Brass in Concert Festival will be a bigger-and-better-than-ever celebration of the very best in brass entertainment."

Purchased tickets

Tickets already purchased for the 2020 Brass in Concert Festival will be honoured at the 2021 event, or customers may have a refund if desired.