Parade of Champions draws marching bands to JMU
News
The award-winning and nationally recognized James Madison University Marching Royal Dukes will be hosting the 36th Annual Parade of Champions Saturday, Oct. 19, in Bridgeforth Stadium. The competition draws high-school marching bands from the mid-Atlantic region to promote music education and celebrate the marching arts.
About 47 high-school bands will perform and compete against other bands from their class. The first performance will begin at 8 a.m. and the last one is slated to begin at 10:30 p.m. Gates open for admission at 7:30 a.m. The bands range from A Class (2 to 35 members) to AAAAA (91+ members). The Marching Royal Dukes will perform at approximately 12:45 p.m. and 10:45 p.m.
Tickets to the Parade of Champions are sold the day of the event. General admission is $15 and admission for students and seniors is $10. Children under age 2 are admitted free. The tickets cover all-day admission and there is no re-entry fee. JMU Concessions and Domino’s Pizza will be open during the day to serve food and drinks. There will also be Parade of Champions merchandise for sale during the day.
Bands to perform come from all over Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. Local high schools to perform include Spotswood High School, Turner Ashby High School, Broadway High School and Harrisonburg High School. Area high schools scheduled to perform include Central High School, Strasburg High School, Stonewall Jackson High School, Stuarts Draft High School, Buffalo Gap High School, Fort Defiance High School, Robert E. Lee High School and Wilson Memorial High School.
Please visit https://www.jmu.edu/mrd/poc.shtml for information on parking and any updates.
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