The Great American Brass Band Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this weekend in Danville. Brass band music fans from around the world are expected to descend upon the town for the event.
“The best brass bands play on our stages – it’s quite an honor for them to do so. And so we bring the best of the best, and I think that’s part of why we’ve survived for 25 years and we intend to be around for many more, ” said executive director Niki Kinkade.
Kinkade says the event is expected to draw 30,000 people this weekend.
“It’s very much a community driven festival, we are basically financially supported by our community and through volunteerism and through all sorts of different activities that go on over the four-day weekend," said Kinkade. "The entire community comes together and helps to put this event on.”
She says part of this year’s celebration will be looking back on the last 25 years and collecting materials for a coffee-table book.
“The prelude to that is this booklet,” said Kinkade. “It’s an 18-page book full of photographs and anecdotes and our pins and posters and kind of a historical perspective over the last 25 years.”
On Friday night the festival features a “Bayou & Brass” street party featuring New Orleans style music and food; on Saturday the festivities include a parade through downtown.
