If you are a brass band fan then here’s a date for your diary.

The Great Northern Brass Arts Festival has become a staple in the banding world and every autumn brings together some of the country’s leading bands.

This year the festival is on September 14 and the venue is again the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.

Top talent will showcase the best in brass bands, ensembles and soloists. And one of Huddersfield’s bands will be there to get proceedings underway.

Hepworth Band is delighted to have been asked to kick-start the festival which it will do with a lunchtime concert which starts at noon.

That will be followed by a concert which says all there is to say about the musical talent of the future.

Dr Nicholas Childs will conduct the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

In that decade, around 500 children have played in the band, many of the from the north of England.

Brighouse and Rastrick Band is centre stage at 4.15pm with a concert in this celebrated concert hall.

The evening is devoted to a gala concert celebrating our finest brass musicians and featuring Black Dyke and Foden’s Band. The concert starts at 7.15pm.

And if all that were not enough, there will be bands performing in the foyer area of the Bridgewater Hall and in the piazza area outside.

Tickets are available on 0844 907 9000.