Tameside Whit Friday Brass Band Contest
Friday 13th June 2025

Stalybridge Celtic – rejoining the fold…

 

Stalybridge Celtic is delighted to be returning to the Whit Contest after several years’ absence.  For 2025, it is aiming to be a leading venue attracting all of the major bands – a position it hopes to build on and enhance in forthcoming Summers.

 

After several years of declining fortunes, the Club was acquired by new majority shareholders (Nigel Jones and Paul Bowden) in the Summer of 2023 and a gradual rebuilding on and off the field has been taking place.  During the 2023/24 season, the Club’s footballing fortunes were stabilised and over the Summer of 2024 the development of the off-pitch facilities started to take shape with significant investment made in the hospitality functions through the launch of The Venues at Celtic (www.thevenuesatceltic.co.uk).

 

Alongside this, the Club has started to rebuild its position as a key part of the local community and Paul Bowden confirmed that “Bringing the band contest back to the Club is another key step to finding our way within the Stalybridge and wider Tameside community.  As well as making the contest more attractive for visiting bands, we aim to provide a first-class venue for spectators offering comfort, affordability refreshment and – most importantly – a great day out.”

 

“The Whit Friday contest comes hot on the heels of Stalyfest (www.stalyfest.co.uk) – our two day music festival in early May, so we are now starting to bring a varied range of entertainment right to the heart of the Stalybridge Community.”

 

“We’re just looking forward to some glorious sunshine for these two important events.”

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