2025 Australian National Band Championships
We are excited to announce that the 2025 Australian National Band Championships will be held in Bendigo from Friday April 18 to Monday April 21. Band events will take place at the Ulumbarra Theatre and the Capital Theatre. Please find key dates and other information below.
Test Pieces Announced: September 1st
Entries Open: September 1st
Open Grade Bands & all Solo/Ensemble Entries Close: December 13th
Late Open Grade Band & Solo/Ensemble Entries Close: January 10th (50% late fee applies)
Junior Grade Band Entries Close: February 14th
Easter Weekend 2025
Friday April 18th 2025
- Open Brass Bands – Hymn and Test
Saturday April 19th 2025
- Open and Junior Concert Bands
- Parade of Bands
- Junior Brass Bands
Sunday April 20th 2025
- Open Brass Bands – Own Choice & March
Monday April 21st 2025
- Solo and Ensemble Events
The Ulumbarra Theatre
Meaning ‘gather together’ or ‘meeting place’ in the language of the local Dja Dja Wurrung people, Bendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre rises majestically from what was once the Sandhurst Gaol.
The theatre is a redevelopment of the gaol, which operated from 1863 until 2004. Today you walk into an extraordinary venue that cleverly fuses heritage-listed 1860s penitentiary architecture and contemporary design.
Red brick guard towers and an imposing granite facade frame the new entrance. Inside, the box office is housed in a repurposed cell block.
The Capital Theatre
The Capital located in historic View Street, was originally built as the Sandhurst Masonic Hall in 1873 and boasts one of the finest entries of any arts centre in the nation, with towering Corinthian columns and an interior that has been restored to its original grandeur. The 480 seat capacity Capital Theatre sits above two elegant heritage chambers – The Capital’s Banquet Room and the Bendigo Bank Theatre.