After a two-year hiatus, the Durham Miners’ Gala returns on Saturday with more bands, banners and a general blast than at any time since the UK miners’ strike. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend the gala, which has been held in the historic city of Durham since 1871. Only national strikes, two world wars and the Covid-19 pandemic have stopped it. It will be the gala that regulars recognize – crowds, socializing, brass bands, political speeches and some booze. But it will also have a different feel, organizers say. The gala is “not a historical re-enactment society,” said one. A new cultural exchange will see London’s Mangrove Steelband march through the city and, in return, the Durham Miners’ Association (DMA) Brass Band will take part in the Notting Hill Carnival in August. The back-with-a-bang feel of this year’s event is due in part to the pent-up excitement after the pandemic-enforced hiatus. But as the cost of living crisis escalates and more unions take up and consider strike action, there is undeniably something in the air, said Stephen Guy, the president of the DMA. “There is anger and it will be directed at the government on Saturday,” he said. “I am reaching out to the mining communities of County Durham. I am also busy as a union employee… there is a sense of injustice. We are seeing history repeat itself and we know that key workers have not received a fair deal…” This year’s gala is dedicated to these key workers, Guy said. “People will want to say a sincere thank you. Not the platitudes we got from the government about standing on your steps on Thursday and clapping – that will be a real thank you. The miners of Durham have chosen to put essential workers on a pedestal, which they rightly deserve.” The gala has always been a politically charged affair, addressed by union bosses and Labor leaders. The question of whether the Labor leader will attend has been one of the annual storylines at the gala. Clement Attlee, Harold Wilson, Neil Kinnock, Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn have given speeches, while no-shows include John Smith, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Sir Keir Starmer was not invited to speak, but organizers say no politician has been invited to speak this year. Instead, five union leaders, including the RMT’s Mick Lynch, will address the crowds to represent key workers. Topping the bill will be a nurse, Holly Johnston, and a postal worker, Rohan Kohn. Starmer is not being snubbed, Guy said. “There is no intention to downgrade the relationship with politicians and they will be on the platform sitting next to key workers. It’s just that after the terrible two years we’ve had, and we’re still going through, we think it’s critical that key workers are recognized.” The Labor leader will not be at the gala due to a previous family engagement, but his deputy, Angela Rayner, is expected to attend. In 1946, the #Durham MinersGala returned after a six-year hiatus during WWII. More than 250,000 people marched through the streets of Durham. Among them was Clement Attlee, who became the first Prime Minister to address The Big Meeting. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/LJk0D2ZynG — Durham Miners’ Gala (@DurhamGala) July 7, 2022 The last deep mine in County Durham, Easington, closed in 1993, but the miners’ gala continues. The day focuses on politics, identity and unity. In 1946, as the gala returned from a six-year hiatus after the second world war, shopkeepers nailed wooden boards to the windows to prevent the crowd of 250,000 people from falling in. By contrast, the 1965 gala was, the Guardian reported, “a damp and dreary gala in which extraordinary security measures were taken after threats of demonstrations by left-wing groups at Durham University came to nothing”. An anonymous threat to shoot Harold Wilson was never followed through on. Saturday’s gala is expected to be more like the one in 1946. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST. Kon, one of the keynote speakers, also thinks something is in the air this summer. “Something exciting is happening in this country right now … the tide is turning,” he said. “We’re at a crossroads right now and this gala is about sending a loud and clear message to the bosses: we’re going to fight for our lives.”
