The NBCA are disappointed to announce the cancellation of the 2022 Australian National Band Championships. While we had seventy-eight bands register for the event based on our initial plans for the Easter weekend, we made the decision to postpone the event to a later date due to COVID. This in turn created a number of issues which has left us unable to find suitable venues on appropriate alternate dates.
After postponing, we attempted to find a weekend in June or July that didn’t interfere too much with existing state-based events, where a suitable venue in their state was available, and that would allow for each hub to be able to run profitably or at break even. Unfortunately, several of the hubs had at least one of the above conditions that they weren’t able to meet.
Our mission had always been clear: run a good event with representation across the country that could break even to avoid placing further strain on bands and state bodies. Under the current circumstances, we are not able to deliver on this.
We understand the frustration that will be felt by the community on this announcement. The council, as well as Danny Alexander from NSW and David Bremner from NZ, have spent many hours on prepping and planning for the event. For the WA council members, this is the second nationals in three years they have had to cancel. For the Victorian and SA members, this cancellation follows on from the cancellation of their states last year. We are all disappointed by the outcome, but we didn’t want to deliver a second-rate product, especially given the effort you would be putting into your performances.
We will process refunds for bands in the coming weeks. Finally, thank you to Tim at Brassbanned and Yamaha Music Australia for their amazing support of this project. For now, we encourage you to participate in other Australian banding events in 2022 and gear up for our return to a traditional Nationals in Newcastle in 2023. The team from NSW have started planning in earnest and I know they will put on a great show next year. I can’t wait to see and hear you all at Easter next year when we finally get our Nationals back!
Regards
Paul De Cinque
President
National Band Council of Australia
