The next Whit Friday is Friday 21st May 2027. The date changes each year, so see our latest Whit Friday update for this year’s news.
‘The greatest free show on Earth’
What is Whit Friday?
Whit Friday is the Friday after Whit Sunday (Pentecost), so it moves with Easter and falls in late May or early June. In Saddleworth and the neighbouring parts of Oldham and Tameside it is the biggest day of the year: the morning belongs to the Whit Walks and the evening to the brass band contests. The contests go back to Whit Friday 1884, when Uppermill and Mossley held contests alongside the earlier one at Stalybridge, and they have run ever since.
The morning: the Whit Walks
In the morning the local churches and schools walk in procession through the villages with their banners, usually led by a band, and many come together in Uppermill for a joint service. Roads in many of the villages are closed for the walks from roughly mid-morning until lunchtime, open again for a while, then close from mid-afternoon to get ready for the contests.
The evening: the band contests
Whit Friday isn’t one contest but a whole string of separate ones, each run by its own village. The Saddleworth and Oldham Whit Friday Band Contests are held in eleven places: Delph, Denshaw, Diggle, Dobcross, Friezland, Greenfield, Grotton, Lees & Springhead, Lydgate, Scouthead & Austerlands, and Uppermill. On the same evening, just over the hill, Tameside runs its own circuit of around a dozen contests, including Stalybridge, Mossley, Dukinfield, Droylsden, Denton, Hyde, Carrbrook and Hurst.
More than a hundred bands take part, from all over the country and further afield. Top bands such as Brighouse & Rastrick, Black Dyke and Grimethorpe play alongside local bands, youth bands and scratch bands. Brighouse & Rastrick have taken the overall Saddleworth title several years running, and the full results are posted on the official results page.
How it works
Each band plays two pieces: a march, played as they walk up the street to the contest area, and then the contest piece, which is what they are judged on. A volunteer walks in front of each band carrying a board with its name so the crowd knows who’s coming, but the name is never announced. The judges, volunteers like everyone else involved, spend the evening shut away in a caravan or tent (with only the occasional pint for company) and mark each band on the playing alone, not on reputation, fame or fancy uniforms.
There is prize money at every contest, and extra prizes for bands that play at six or more, so once a band has finished it’s supposed to rush back to its coach and on to the next village. Most have a quick beer first before a stressed band leader rounds them up. Between the traffic, the queue of bands at each venue and the beers, most manage a handful of contests rather than all of them. The contests run from about 4pm until late in the evening.
Despite being called the ‘Greatest Free Show on Earth’, it costs a lot to put on. The Saddleworth prize money alone has been around £34,000 in recent years, and the whole thing depends on hundreds of volunteers who work before, during and after the day.
Chav Brass
One band that always draws a crowd is Chav Brass, a scratch band of very talented musicians from all over the place who get together once a year for Whit Friday. Don’t be put off by the Burberry tracksuits or their unusual choice of marching music: this band can play. Click here to see them play the more traditional ‘Knight Templar’ at Denshaw. They might not be to every traditionalist’s taste, but since the video of them marching at Delph went viral they have brought brass bands and Whit Friday to a whole new audience, and that is no mean feat. For me they sum up what Whit Friday is about: beer, brass and fun.
This is their famous marching performance of DJ Sammy’s remix of Bryan Adams’ ‘Heaven’ in Delph.
Where I like to watch
Some people try to chase the bands from village to village, but I prefer to find a good spot and stay there. My favourite is the White Hart up at Lydgate, a lovely pub within walking distance of Pots & Pans Cottage and a perfect place to see the bands march in and play. The food is great, the beer is excellent and the views over Saddleworth are amazing. Here’s a snippet of the Lydgate contest to whet your appetite.
It doesn’t get much better than this: a pint of local beer and a bit of brass.
Tips for visitors
- Walk if you can. The villages are close together and walking between them is part of the fun. Pots & Pans Cottage in Shaws is about ten minutes’ walk from Uppermill, and Dobcross, Greenfield and Lydgate are all within walking distance.
- Expect road closures. Many roads close in the morning for the walks and again from mid-afternoon for the contests, and temporary No Parking zones go up across the area. The official Saddleworth and Oldham Whit Friday website publishes the closure plans.
- Park wisely, or better still, don’t drive. Parking is terrible, and the traffic wardens treat Whit Friday like all their Christmases rolled into one. You have been warned.
- Come by train or bus. Greenfield station has trains from Manchester and Huddersfield, and there are buses from Oldham and Ashton-under-Lyne. Services get very busy in the evening.
- Pick a village and settle in. Most contests have a pub nearby. Uppermill is lively, Delph and Dobcross are hard to beat for atmosphere, and Lydgate has the views.
- Book early. Accommodation for Whit Friday goes very quickly, and the cottage is usually one of the first things booked for the weekend.
Brassed Off
The 1996 film ‘Brassed Off’ includes a scene at the Saddleworth Whit Friday contests. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a wonderful film. This clip, filmed in Saddleworth and featuring ‘March of the Cobblers’ (an iconic Whit Friday tune), captures what a glorious day it is.
If you have never been to Saddleworth for Whit Friday, you are in for a treat, and you will get a warm welcome. For Saddleworthians it’s the best day of the year, one they are proud of and happy to share. Even as a ‘comer-inner’ myself (they never let you forget it), I look forward to it every year. Even if you aren’t a big fan of brass band music, it’s a fabulous community day and a great reminder of how special Saddleworth and its people are.
If you’d like to stay at Pots & Pans Cottage for Whit Friday or any other time, you can check prices and availability and book here, or email me at admin@potsandpanscottage.com.
Cheers and Beers and Brass Bands!
Cliff