Rode Hall Silver Band made its annual pilgrimage yesterday to the iconic Whit Friday Marches, taking on the challenge across Saddleworth Moor and Tameside. Known as “the greatest free show on Earth,” this much-loved event once again delivered a fantastic day full of music, community, and celebration.
This year, we marched with “Death or Glory” and chose the ever-popular “Knight Templar” as our contest piece. We performed at ten brilliantly organised contests throughout the day, enjoying favourable weather, enthusiastic crowds, and a brilliant atmosphere wherever we went.
We’re thrilled to report that we took the 2nd place third section band at Stalybridge Celtic, where a particularly special moment saw us spurred on by the presence of the famous Foden’s Band, who gave us a cheer and helped lift the performance even higher.
A huge thank you to all the contest organisers and volunteers, and of course to our players and supporters for their hard work and commitment throughout a long and memorable day and our MD Ken Mackintosh who put a huge amount of effort into getting the band ready to compete this year. Whit Friday remains a highlight of the banding calendar — and we can’t wait to do it all again next year!