Streets of Brass returns to Durham

The festival, which is one of the highlights of our annual events programme, promises to be bigger and better than ever when it returns from Sunday 10 to Sunday 17 July.

Supporting the county's bid to be named UK City of Culture 2025, it will welcome a host of world-renowned artists to the county alongside free concerts in schools, communities and care homes and a full programme of lively street bands.

Bringing the party to the people 

Performers include Italy's Bandakadabra.

Streets of Brass will jazz up the city centre and offer visitors celebrating the final weekend of the festival the chance to experience the sounds of brass music from Britain to Bollywood.

It will showcase some old favourites and welcome new faces on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 July, with a fabulous, free party bringing the bands together in Wharton Park from 6pm on the Saturday.

Helping to bring the party to the people are favourites from Spain, Artistas del Gremio, offering their own mix of music and style with popular and traditional songs. BRASS favourites Back Chat Brass are set to bring an explosive beat to the streets with their signature take on go-to hits that are rooted in pop, funk and hip hop.

Italian ensemble Bandakadabra offers all sort of brass, from ragtime and jazz to Balkan, rocksteady and Latin, while the UK's pioneering Indian-style band, Bollywood Brass Band, promise a colourful, joyful and exhilarating performance of the most popular music in the world.

Streets of Brass will also welcome the first and only all-female Italian street band, Girlesque, who perform with a nod to burlesque and a combination of sound, movement and fun.

Audiences can expect to get involved in performances by Loud Noises as they bridge the gap between contemporary brass music and dancehall-based improvisation. And, multi-award-winning part choir, part chamber orchestra, part avant-rock band, Perhaps Contraption, promise to bring a truly unique musical experience to BRASS.

'Fantastic celebration of music' 

Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: "BRASS is famed for bringing the party to the people of our wonderful county. Having had to pause the festival because of the pandemic, we cannot wait to see our communities once again embracing the music and mayhem of this year's BRASS festival.

"Streets of Brass brings such an eclectic range of feel-good music to the city centre and to Wharton Park, bringing everyone together for a fantastic celebration of music. It also helps to share the joy of music with people who might not engage with it otherwise, which is a key aspect of our bid to be named UK City of Culture 2025."

Coinciding with this year's BRASS is the ever-popular Durham City Run, on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 July. The festival will see hundreds of competitors race through the city centre, accompanied by live music from the Streets of Brass bands.