Saturday, the European Drum Corps Championships (EDCC) returned to The Netherlands, featuring 10 ensembles across four competitive classifications.
The 2025 championship event, held at FC Dordrecht Stadium September 27, crowned three class champions — Blue Diamonds (Premier Class), Jong Jubal (Junior Class) and Blue Bandits (Concert Class).
In remarks delivered during the event’s awards ceremony, the mayor of Doredrecht, Nanning Mol, said he was “completely blown away by the high and professional level of the quality performances,” adding that “everyone was a winner.” He also extended an invitation for all participants to return to Dordrecht for the event next year.
PREMIER CLASS
🇩🇪 1. Blue Diamonds » 88.550
🇩🇪 2. Spirit of 52 » 88.450
🇳🇱 3. Showband Irene » 83.050
🇩🇪 4. Brass and Drum Corps Kriftel » 77.800
🇮🇪 5. Inbhear Mor » 71.800
One of the closer Premier Class finishes in recent EDCC memory saw Blue Diamonds edge out Spirit of 52 atop the leaderboard, winning by just a tenth of a point. The two had been separated by half a point in the Prelims competition held earlier that day.
“We achieved an incredible result at the European Drum Corps Championships, making us the first German Drum Corps European Champion in the Premier Class,” the Blue Diamonds posted on Facebook following their win. “A huge thank you to all members, staff and our fantastic volunteers for your dedication and passion. Without you this wouldn’t have been possible.”
Spirit of 52 posted first-place scores in the Music and Visual captions, but a slightly stronger advantage for Blue Diamonds in Effect made the difference for the 2025 Premier Class champions. At 2024’s championship, the two took second and third respectively, with Blue Diamonds landing ahead of Spirit of 52 by just over a point.
Showband Irene, which did not compete at the 2024 edition of the EDCC, scored within about five points of the leaders for a strong third-place finish, while earning top scores in the brass caption. Brass and Drum Corps Kriftel, which took fourth in its move to Premier Class — the ensemble took second in Concert Class in 2024 — scored ahead of Showband Irene in Color Guard. Inbhear Mor, Saturday’s sole participant from Ireland, rounded out the Premier Class lineup in fifth place.
JUNIOR CLASS
🇳🇱 1. Jong Jubal » 80.250
🇳🇱 2. Jeugdshowband Irene » 71.850
🇩🇪 3. Diamond Cadets » 70.700
Jong Jubal — the longtime youth ensemble tied to Jubal, a Netherlands-based corps that has appeared in the United States as part of the Drum Corps International Tour numerous times, including most recently in 2018 — took home an unprecedented 15th Junior Class European title. Jong Jubal outscored the Junior Class field by more than eight points, and ranked first in all captions.
In a close race for second, Jeugdshowband Irene edged out Diamond Cadets by just over a point. Jeugdshowband Irene scored second in most captions, but Diamond Cadets finished ahead in Color Guard, Percussion and Visual Effect.
CONCERT CLASS
🇩🇪 1. Blue Bandits » 74.600
Blue Bandits, which also took home the 2024 Concert Class title, served as the sole Concert Class competitor at Saturday’s event. The ensemble’s score improved by an impressive 3.9 points from Prelims to Finals.
SOUNDSPORT CLASS
🇳🇱 Beatrix’ Hilversum » Silver Rating
The event also featured a SoundSport performance from Beatrix’ Hilversum; the Dutch ensemble earned a Silver rating.
“In a notable expansion, the EDCC introduced SoundSport this year, a performance-based program designed for smaller ensembles,” event organizer Hans Kloppert said. “This addition aims to provide more opportunities for participation and is expected to attract additional units in the coming years.”
The hometown ensemble Jubal Orange Brass also provided entertainment with an exhibition performance on Saturday.
Photos courtesy European Drum Corps Championships, Francois Deschacht
