Sections 1-4 Finals: Retrospective

After two days, 61 bands, nearly 600 minutes of music from 2000 performers, our time here has come to an end. What a brilliant weekend it has been here at the Sections 1-4 Finals at the Centaur, Cheltenham Racecourse - it’s great to be back doing what we love!
We would like to take the opportunity to thank every band and their conductors - not only for their hard work and attendance, but also for their co-operation and endearing attitude towards the whole movement. Of course we run the contest, but it’s for the bands, along with each and every one of you who support us.

In continuation to our thanks, we are massively appreciative of our supporting companies: Brass Band World, Denis Wick and Ev-entz, for coming and we thank them for their continued support. A special thank you also goes to our exhibitors who took the time to come this weekend - it’s refreshing to see businesses getting back into custom once again!

The running of the contest is managed expertly by our Contest Controllers and Kapitol Crew members, who we can’t thank enough for all of their hard work over the weekend. We couldn’t have done it without you - literally!

Last but certainly not least, we’d like to turn our attention to the audience. Without a crowd, there would be no atmosphere - which is one of the most important factors of any competition, especially one of such a high calibre as the National Finals.

As featured in our Results Ceremonies, we’d like to take the time to remember all of those bandspeople who are no longer with us, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Community is at the heart of brass banding - one thing that we all took for granted until it was taken away from us. This is what makes this weekend such a special one, being the first major brass banding event since the pandemic began.

We sincerely hope that you’ve enjoyed your weekend with us, be it in person or through sharing the experience with us on social media. The weekend has been nothing short of successful, and we wish you all well and hope to see you again in a fortnight’s time (Saturday 2 October) for the Championship Section Final, held at the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London.

#finals2021