THIS IS LONDON JUNE EDITION 2025 - Flipbook - Page 9
LONDON BAND WEEK RETURNS
London Band Week, the annual
celebration of marching bands, concert
bands and wind symphonies, returns
this summer from 24 to 29 June. This
premier invitational event offers topquality performance opportunities for
UK-based community bands and hosts
acclaimed visiting US collegiate and
high school bands, showcasing the
vibrant band culture on both sides of
the Atlantic.
This year’s public festival events kick
off with the Live in London series:
standstill performances set against the
iconic backdrop of Tower Bridge at Potters
Fields Park, SE1. On 26 June at 16.00,
see ‘The Pride of New Jersey’, the Rutgers
University Marching Scarlet Knights, with
over 280 members – the largest US
collegiate band to play in London. Then,
on 27 June at 13.00, the Pride of Dayton,
the marching band of the University of
Dayton, Ohio, will offer a lunchtime
spectacle. Free to attend, these events
provide a unique opportunity for
Londoners and visitors to London to hear
some of the best that US collegiate
marching music has to offer.
Heading to the west of London later
that evening, a Gala Concert takes place
at the Epsom Playhouse, starting at
19.30. This year’s concert features The
Band of His Majesty’s Royal Marines,
Collingwood and is in aid of the Royal
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Naval Association and the Epsom and
Ewell Royal British Legion.
On 28 June, the festivities continue
with the London Tattoo, the celebration of
marching music, at London’s ExCeL
Centre ICC Auditorium, starting at 18.00.
The tattoo features performances from The
Band of His Majesty’s Royal Marines,
CTCRM, the Pride of Dayton, the
Bournemouth Youth Marching Band, the
Burgess Hill Marching Youth, the
Gordon’s School Band of Pipes and
Drums, and the Rutgers University
Marching Scarlet Knights. With
outstanding performances from these toptier US and UK bands, and a spectacular
massed band finale, this is an event not to
miss. Only a last few tickets remain.
The festival closes on 29 June,
travelling across London to the grandeur
of Hampton Court Palace for the Palace
Parade Review, and the Battle of
Flowerpot Gate – a good-natured
drumline battle between the featured
bands’ percussion lines.
The day’s entertainment begins with
the Parade at 11.45, led by a
performance of the Corps of Drums of
HM Royal Marines, through the
picturesque Palace Gardens and Broad
Walk, including a short standstill
performance outside the Palace. After
the parade, at approximately 13.30, the
bands’ drumlines will meet near the
Flowerpot Gate to showcase their
percussion skills and showmanship in
a bid to win the prestigious King's
Shield trophy and bragging rights for
the next year! Participating bands are the
Rutgers University Marching Scarlet
Knights, the Pride of Dayton, the
Burgess Hill Marching Youth, the
Gordon’s School Band of Pipes and
Drums, the Kingston & Malden Scout
& Guide Band, the Band of the Royal
Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps Gosport
and the Surbiton Royal British Legion
Youth Marching Band. This event is free
for all ticketed visitors to Hampton Court
Palace on the day.
For more information on events
and to purchase tickets, visit the website
at www.thelondontattoo.com
T H I S I S L O N D O N M A G A Z I N E • T H I S I S L O N D O N O N L I N E • w w w. t i l . c o m • @ t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g
