BUCKHANNON — A brand-new event will take place in Upshur County in May that will bring bands from around West Virginia to Buckhannon for a music festival.

The Buckhannon Community Band will host the inaugural West Virginia Community Band Festival on May 2, and will be joined by 10 other community bands from around the state for a full day of performances at the Buckhannon-Upshur High School auditorium.

The West Virginia Community Band Festival will be a free event for all ages.

“There’s over 400 musicians coming and 11 bands will be performing throughout the day,” Buckhannon Community Band Vice President Chris Loftis told The Inter-Mountain. “Most of them will be staying for two combined pieces at the end of the evening just before eight o’clock. So there’s going to be a lot of people there all day long.”

The first performance by the Buckhannon-Upshur County Middle School band will begin at 10 a.m., with the Buckhannon Community Band performing after. Performances will go on throughout the day with two multi-band performances just before the festival ends at 8 p.m.

The festival will also feature craft vendors, as well as a coffee bar, food vendors and food and drink trucks.

“Come and stay as long as you want, or come and go and come and go as you please,” Loftis said. “Just enjoy the music.”

Loftis explained that the idea for the festival came about after the band held a farewell party for a couple of members who were moving to Charleston. As members of the band talked about how nice it would be to play together again, they discovered that there were several community bands in Charleston.

“That just got us to thinking, ‘Well I wonder how many other community bands there are? Wouldn’t it be cool to put on a festival?'” Loftis said. “That’s the way it started and we’ve just kind of built from there.”

The nine other bands performing include the Brass Rhythm and Sax Orchestra, the Charleston Metro Band, the Brass Band of the Tristate, the Kanawha Valley Band, the Greater Huntington Symphonic Band, the Eastern Panhandle Community Band, the Greater Huntington Jazz Band, the Fairmont Community Symphonic Band and the Shinnston Community Band.

Loftis also stated that the West Virginia Community Band Festival is on track to become an annual event, with the festival set to be held in Charleston next year. The location of the festival will move around the state every year depending on which participating band wants to host. As Loftis explained, the idea is to avoid burdening one organization with putting on the festival every year.

Formed in 2023, the Buckhannon Community Band is a member musical organization whose platform is rooted in “sharing the joy of music making.” Membership in the Buckhannon Community Band is open to anyone from amateur to professional musicians of all ages.

“Our members range in age from 13 to 84,” The Band’s website states. “Whether they come through the door as family members, friends or curious in what we are doing, all are welcome members of our Band family.”

The band rehearses every Thursday at Buckhannon-Upshur High School.

For more information about the West Virginia Community Band Festival and the Buckhannon Community Band, visit the band’s Facebook page or website at buckhannoncommunityband.com.