The Pontypridd Brass Band Festival, which was held in the South Wales town in May, has been hailed as a great success following the results of a post event consultation with participants, audiences and visitors.

The event arose from the interest shown in the brass band competitions held at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in the town in 2024, with the aim to foster new participation and learning opportunities linked to the town's Forward Development Plan.

Brass the Blast

A dozen concerts and events took place on the day — from a learner's workshop and 'Brass the Blast' engagement session to the performances of a number of local brass bands, providing over 8 hours of live music, including a world premiere.

The event, which featured Parc & Dare, BTM Flash Mob, City of Cardiff M2, Crosskeys, Mid Rhondda, Cathays Brass and PIT Brass helped boost the footfall in the town centre by over 25%.

Brilliant mix

A spokesperson told 4BR: "One of the most encouraging aspects was the feedback, with people saying that it was 'a superb event' with 'a brilliant mix of events' that they would 'love to see it again'.

These positive comments and the information we have to back the success means that we believe we fully met our first year aims and that the town was certainly 'buzzing to the sound of brass'."