MANITOBA COMMUNITY BANDS
​Community bands have been a part of Manitoba's heritage for more than a century and are a vital part of Manitoba's band family offering connection, community, and lifelong music-making opportunities.
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Learn more about Community Band opportunities in Manitoba through our Community Band Listing:
2025 Community Band Festival
The 2025 Community Band Festival will again be held at beautiful Coronation Park in St. Boniface on Saturday,
June 7 and Sunday, June 8.
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Community Bands must be current Manitoba Band Association members to qualify for the free member rate. To become a member, please visit mbband.org
Date & Time: Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8 (performances beginning at Noon until about 7pm)
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Location: Coronation Park (located between St. Mary's Rd., Eugenie St., and Taché Ave.)
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Registration Deadline: May 5, 2025
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Registration Fee:
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Free for MBA Member Community Bands
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$80.00 for non-MBA Member Community Bands
Please visit our Membership page for more information on MBA Membership
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No GST or PST is charged.
Please make cheques payable to the Manitoba Band Association.​
Registration is Non-Refundable after the registration deadline: May 5, 2025.
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Scheduling:
Ensemble schedules will be prioritized by submission date and scheduling considerations as noted below. Logistical factors will be given high priority in scheduling. We will do our best to accommodate everyone's requests as best as we can.
Performance times will depend on demand, but will begin on the hour approximately between Noon and 6pm each day. Please plan a set of no more than 45-minutes (including talking) to allow transition time after your performance.
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​​​​​​2024 Community Band Festival
Held at beautiful Coronation Park in St. Boniface on Saturday,
June 8 and Sunday, June 9, 2024 were two afternoons of
great Community Band Music. There were 15 bands
playing music from Jazz to classical and everything in between.
The Festival runs from roughly Noon to 8 on both days
with free admission. Special shout out to Long and
McQuade and the Manitoba Band Association for their
support.
2024 Community Band Festival Schedule:
Saturday, June 8
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Noon: Dixie Beats
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1:00pm: Little Big Band
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2:00pm: Friday Morning Concert Band
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3:00pm: St. Charles Big Band
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4:00pm: Canadian Mennonite University Band
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5:00pm: Westwood Community Band
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6:15pm: Winnipeg Pops Orchestra
Sunday, June 9:
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1:00pm: German Club Band
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2:00pm: 252 Legion
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3:00pm: Assiniboia Community Band
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4:00pm: Northwinds Community Band
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5:00pm: Winnipeg Wind Ensemble
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6:00pm: East Side Jazz Band
Note: All performances are weather-permitting.
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Event Parking:
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Coronation Park is bordered by Tache, Eugenie and St. Mary’s
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There is street parking on Eugenie and Tache. There is a 2-hour limit on Saturday, and unlimited time on Sunday.
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If you are dropping someone off, it is best to take St. Mary’s and turn onto Eugenie.
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There is a parking lot for the Forum Art Centre (which is in the corner of the park) and that lot is off limits to parking. You can go into the parking lot temporarily to drop off gear, but you cannot enter the park and drive near the bandstand.
Pinawa Community Band Festival
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The Pinawa Community Band Festival last took place on April 14th, 2019. Bands included; Assiniboia, Eastman, Northwinds, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Westwood, and a massed band lead by Robert Hall. This festival typically took place every other year.
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Bob Day Memorial Award
At the annual Community Band Workshop, a yearly award is presented in memory of the late Bob Day, a dedicated community band member who had great musical spirit and a deep commitment to community bands. This award is given to someone who displays the qualities of dedication, commitment and musical spirit.
Past recipients of the Bob Day Memorial Community Band Member Award (BDMCBMA).
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1998, Dayna Nickel of Winnipeg
1999, Mike Slater of Winnipeg
2000, Val Pearson of Winnipeg
2001, Bernard Helfter of Holland
2002, Bob Corbett of Winnipeg
2003, Tony Purvis of Winnipeg
2004, Jon Publow of Winnipeg
2005, Harold Aiken of Dauphin
2006, Harvey Winks of Winnipeg
2007, Annette Verniest of Holland
(We shifted the Community Band Workshop from Nov. to March in 2009, resulting in a "leap" year!)
2009, Peter Hayward of Pinawa
2010, Barry Shaw of Winnipeg
2011, Carole Helfter of Holland
2012, Vicki Adams of Somerset
2013, Brian Duncan of Rosebank
2014, Bruce Childs of Dauphin
2015, Christina Paul of Winnipeg
2016, David Patrick of Winnipeg
2017, Cam Marsland of Selkirk
2018, Derrick Wainio of Morden​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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