Whit Friday Band Contests

Last Friday was "Whit Friday" (the Friday that follows Whit Sunday), a day that people from elsewhere may not have heard of, but which is traditionally a local holiday in some northern towns. The traditions are still strong in Mossley and Saddleworth, with the traditional Whit Walks taking place in the morning and the brass band contests taking place in the late afternoon and evening.

The band contests are also held in Ashton (outside the Broadoak Hotel and at Ashton United football ground) as well as in nearby towns such as Dukinfield, Stalybridge and Droylsden. The contests are held in a number of the villages in the Saddleworth area, too, and brass bands from around the country, and even from overseas, tour round in coaches trying to play at as many contests as they can in the time.

This photo above shown a band that is close to home - Mossley Band playing at the Upper Mossley contest, with a backdrop of the Pennine hills. After playing as they marched along Market Street, the band played a test piece in the arena before jumping into their coach to play at other locations.

Each band might get around to 10 or 12 contests in the evening and each venue attracts something like 40 bands, with some of the more popular venues seeing considerably more. Towards the end of the evening the bands end up marching and playing in the dark, although the arena is lit up by floodlights.

The contest circuit is unique to this area and is a special event enjoyed by large numbers of local people as well as visitors from far and wide.

"Whit Friday Band Contests" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Whit Friday Band Contests

Whit Friday is a bit special in this part of the world. Many of you have probably never heard of Whit Friday but in the areas around Saddleworth and Mossley it is one of the highlights of the year! Traditionally for many people it is a day off work. In the morning, the churches of the area hold services of witness and then parade through the streets accompanied by brass bands. This is still an important event in Mossley although it is even more spectacular in nearby Saddleworth.

Then, in the evening, hundreds of brass bands from around the country, along with some from overseas, tour round as many of the band contests in the area as they can manage. There are a number of contests throughout Tameside, including at The Broadoak Hotel and at Hurst Cross in Ashton, and in Mossley, as shown in these photos. There are even more contests in the various villages of Saddleworth. Some people like the crowds in the popular venues, such as Uppermill and Delph, while others prefer the more intimate atmosphere of the smaller contest venues.

Each contest sees at least 40 bands during the six hour event, while some see as many as 80! It is also a good evening out for anyone keen on coach-spotting!

The photo at the top shows the superb band from Wardle High School in Rochdale playing and marching along Market Street in Mossley towards the contest venue.

The photo below shows Mossley Band on home turf performing their set piece in front of the adjudicator's caravan on St Joseph's School playground. Not a very colourful photo, I'm afraid, but Mossley Band's uniform is black and the evening was a little grey!


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"Whit Friday Band Contests" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Please look back in tomorrow for another "Whit"-related post.

Whit Friday in Saddleworth

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Today is Whit Friday and the day of the traditional Whit Walks and Band Contests in Mossley and Saddleworth.

Processions from the various churches in Saddleworth converge on Uppermill for a service of witness followed by a united walk through the village.

This photo shows the contingent from Holy Trinity Church, Dobcross, led by Dobcross Band.

In the evening brass band competitions take place in many of the Saddleworth villages, as well as in Mossley, Stalybridge, Ashton and other places.

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Saturday in Saddleworth - Whit Friday Band Contests

Eight days ago was Whit Friday, and last Saturday's photo showed the Saddleworth Whit Walks in Uppermill.

In the evening of Whit Friday, the Whit Friday Band Contests take place at many of the villages in the area. The contests developed because a number of brass bands were in the area for the walks in the morning.

There are contests in the Saddleworth villages of Uppermill, Greenfield, Dobcross, Delph, Denshaw, Diggle, Greenfield, Friezland, Lydgate, Grotton and Scouthead, as well as in Lees, Greenacres, Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne, Hurst Cross, Stalybridge, Stalybridge Celtic, Heyrod, Carrbrook, Audenshaw, Droylsden and Dukinfield. The Whit Friday band contests are unique to this area.

The contests each have two parts - a marching (deportment) competition, where each band marches along the road towards the event venue, followed by a concert piece, where each band plays one from a range of set pieces, with the adjudicator hidden in an upstairs room or a caravan so that he does not know which band is playing.

More info here. Plenty of videos on here on YouTube.

130 bands were involved in last year's contests. The biggest event is at Delph, which attracted 78 bands last year!

Last Friday, after a lovely sunny morning, it started to rain just as the band contests got under way! So the photograph above was actually taken at last year's contest and shows the Dobcross Youth Band marching down the street in Delph.

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Saturday in Saddleworth - Whit Walks

Yesterday was Whit Friday and in Saddleworth that means Whit Walks and Band contests!

Whit Walks, in one form or another, were fairly common in many areas but have now died out in some places and in other places are much smaller affairs than they once were. In Saddleworth and Mossley, however, not only are the Whit Walks still a big thing, but they still take place on Whit Friday.

Traditionally schools and factories in the area close for the day. Some high school pupils still have to go in to take GCSE exams, though!

Saddleworth is an area made up of a number of individual villages and the churchgoers walk in procession from their own church down into the centre of Uppermill for a joint service of witness in the park. They then all process through the centre of Uppermill before continuing back to their own villages. The main A670 road through Uppermill is closed for several hours while all this is going on.

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Interlude

Another picture from Friday evening's Whit Friday Band Contest. Members of Adamsons Band wait their turn to play at Top Mossley.

Today (the Sunday following Whit Sunday) is traditionally the day of Ashton's Whit Walks, but this year's procession will not take place until June 15th.

Whit Friday Band Contest

Blackpool Brass perform at the Whit Friday Band Contest at Top Mossley. Similar contests were held at the Broadoak Hotel and Hurst Cross in Ashton, and at other locations, including Stalybridge, Dukinfield, Lees and in many of the Saddleworth villages. Bands from around the country tour as many contests as they can, taking part in a marching contest and performing a set piece.

Mossley Whit Walks

The annual Whit Walks take place in Mossley on Whit Friday (the Friday that follows Whit Sunday). After a service of witness in the Market Place, members of all the churches process through the town accompanied by marching brass bands.
The town has a holiday feel for the day, with many businesses being closed and the pubs doing brisk business. In the evening, the Whit Friday Band Contest takes place. Whit Friday is celebrated in this way in Mossley and around the Saddleworth area.