Showstoppers – our favorite parades, bowl games and more!

We love planning all kinds of student performance opportunities – grand concert halls, intimate historic venues, outdoor pavilions and seasonal serenades.

But there’s something about this time of year that has us daydreaming about drum lines and shining brass. Parade and bowl game season is right around the corner and if your group has visions of marching bands dancing in your heads, it’s time to start thinking about which events you’d like to apply for (for next year, of course). Here are some of our favorites:

Parades

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
This iconic parade officially kicks off the holiday season with larger-than-life balloons, celebrity performances, St. Nicholas himself and, of course, the best marching bands in the nation. We love planning trips around such an incredible event in New York City, one of our most requested destinations.

Thanksgiving Parade of Bands
A marching band event like no other, the Thanksgiving Parade of Bands is a mass band event that offers students a unique opportunity to learn alongside musical peers from across the country and around the world. Following their performance at the heart of the Walt Disney World Resort^®, students can enjoy the park, connect with their new friends and celebrate with an extravagant Thanksgiving dinner and awards ceremony.

Tournament of Roses
One of the most time-honored parades in the country, the Tournament of Roses Parade is the perfect way to ring in the New Year. With stunning mountains and palm trees everywhere you look, Pasadena, California is an ideal starting point for a number of West Coast adventures for you and your students.

Bowl Games

Autozone Liberty Bowl
New Year’s Eve in Memphis, Tennessee is all about the Liberty Bowl. Your entire band can be included in the trip, as the event features clinics for jazz, concert and marching bands. Prior to the big game, show off what you learned in the Liberty Bowl Parade on Beale Street in downtown Memphis then celebrate your accomplishments at an awards dinner that evening. On game day, join musicians from across the country for a mass band halftime spectacular.

Allstate Sugar Bowl
Laissez les bons temps rouler! New Orleans is the home of the Sugar Bowl, an event that includes the Sugar Bowl Battle of the Bands field show competition, a New Year’s Eve awards party, a performance at Jackson Square in the heart of the French Quarter, and a mass band performance during the game’s halftime. Don’t leave town without a beignet or two!

Outback Bowl
Where could your students perform in an NFL stadium? The Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida, that’s where! The event includes festival competitions for concert, jazz, and marching bands, making it an ideal trip for your entire band department. The winner of the marching festival also performs their field show during the pregame. You’ll be within an hour or so of numerous theme parks and other attractions, so it’s a great event to build an exciting itinerary around.

Beyond the Bowl Games

Love the idea of a big, exciting performance event for your students but looking beyond band experiences? The Candlelight Processional at the Epcot^® International Festival of the Holidays at the Walt Disney World Resort^® may be the event for you. A nightly mass choir experience that begins just after Thanksgiving and runs till the end of December, the Candlelight Processional features a celebrity narrator who shares the Christmas Story alongside an orchestra and student choirs from across the country.

Whether your group wants to perform in front of millions or simply enjoy a travel experience together, we can plan the trip that’s right for you and your students. For more information about the kinds of travel experiences we offer, give us a call or visit our website. See you on the road!