The Mortimer family, owners and promoters of the British Open Brass Band Championships have confirmed that the Spring Festival, comprising the Grand Shield, Senior Cup and Senior Trophy, will move to new venues in Birmingham in 2026.

The Senior Cup contest will be held at Town Hall Birmingham on Saturday 2nd May, with the Senior Trophy utilising the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space at Symphony Hall on the same day. The Grand Shield contest will be held on Sunday 3rd May at Town Hall Birmingham.  

In confirming the change, Karyn and Mortimer stated: “The decision to move the Spring Festival has not been taken lightly. It has been given a great deal of thought and consideration to the needs of the bands, allied to our determination to secure a long-term sustainable future for these contests.

There will be no reduction in the number of competitors, but we are determined that there will be a significant uplift in the quality of the performance and listening experiences for participating bands and supporters alike.

They added: “We feel very excited about this move, maintaining the long standing historical link to the British Open as well as moving into a new era for the Spring Festival.

We have also been working with a number of local hotels to be able to offer exclusive deals to competing bands. These details, as well further information about the contests themselves will be released in the coming weeks.”