1980s
1980
- The first School Steelband Festival was held in Trinidad
- The Steelband Music Festival was renamed Pan is Beautiful Too
- Silver Steels Combo (London) recorded 'Voices of Spring' by Johann Strauss for the BBC
- Seymour Road Junior School - Orchestral Steel (Manchester) won the Minority Arts Advisory Service Trophy (North West)
- Ocho Rios School Steelband (Rugby) performed at the Schools Prom (Royal Albert Hall)
- Mangrove Steelband (London) was formed
- The London Brotherhood of Steel (LBS) was formed (now the British Association of Steelbands)
1981
- Ocho Rios School Steelband (Rugby) performed at the Schools Prom (Royal Albert Hall)
- Glissando Steel Orchestra won the first UK Steelband Music Festival, London
- Daysring Steelband (Coventry) was formed
1982
- Ocho Rios School Steelband (Rugby) performed at the Schools Prom (Royal Albert Hall)
- Absolute Pandemonium (Cambridgeshire) was formed
- The Star Rhapsody Steel Band (Reading) was formed
- The first Coventry School's Steelband Festival was held
1983
- Seymour Road Junior School - Orchestral Steel (Manchester) performed at the Free Trade Hall with Halle Orchestra
- Stardust Steel Orchestra (London) was formed
- Panash Steelband UK (London) was formed
- Glissando Steel Orchestra won the first Greater London Council Capital Radio Music Festival
- London All Stars Steelband won the first UK Steelband Festival Championship
1984
- Bore pan was unveiled
- Seymour Road Junior School - Orchestral Steel (Manchester) performed at the 10th Anniversary Schools Prom North (Free Trade Hall)
- Carnival began in Birmingham and Huddersfield
- Geradine Connor was believed to be the first female to arrange for a steelband at Panorama
- New World Steel Orchestra (Leeds) was formed
1985
- Carnival begain in Leicester
- St Paul's and Hallows' Youth Steel Band (London) performed at the Schools Prom (Royal Albert Hall)
- CultureMix Arts (Reading) was formed
- Pantonic All Stars Steelband (Stockport) was formed
- Radcliffe Rollers (Milton Keynes) was formed
1986
- Pan Trinbago changed its status from a union to a cultural organisation
- 'The Hammer' was written in memory of the late Rudolph Charles
- Collaspsible stands were introduced
- Seymour Road Junior School - Orchestral Steel (Manchester) performed at the Schools Prom North (Free Trade Hall)
- Harrow Young Musician Steelband (Harrow) was formed
- Whitmore High School Steelband (Harrow) was formed
1987
- Lennox Sharpe became the first arranger to win Panorama with his own composition
- Carnival began in Walthamstow
- Radcliffe Rollers performed at the Music for Youth Schools Prom (Royal Albert Hall)
- The first National Steelband Festival was held, London
- Melodians Steelband (London) was formed
1988
- George Goddard was awarded the Trinidad & Tobago Humming Bird Medal (Gold) posthumously
- Pantonic Steel Orchestra (London) was formed
1989
- Steelpan Glossary survey was compiled
- Leeds College included the teaching of steelpans on their curriculum
- Pantonic All Stars Steel Band (Stockport) performed at the Schools Prom (Royal Albert Hall)
- The first steelband in the North East was formed
- North Tyneside Steelband (Tyne and Wear) was formed