MIHS band considers London, Rose Bowl trips

The Mercer Island High School marching band is considering two possible trips in upcoming years after being invited to march in the 2011 New Year’s Day parade in London, England, and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., in January 2012.

While participation and interest are still being gauged, the trip to the United Kingdom would be roughly a week long and is estimated to cost $3,000 per student.

Every year, approximately 10 bands from middle schools through universities in the United States are invited to participate in the London New Year’s Day parade, which travels through the streets of the West End of London. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the annual event with a typical street audience of over 500,000 people and a worldwide television audience.

According to the parade’s official Web site, more than 10,000 performers representing 20 countries are expected to perform during the parade.

The MIHS band would also likely perform in one of the gala concerts that take place during the festival. During their visit, students who go on the trip would have the opportunity to take part in several tours, including Windsor, Hampton Court or Greenwich, as well as a possible trip to Oxford, Stonehenge, Bath, Canterbury or Dover.

The band most recently traveled to Pasadena, Calif. for the Rose Bowl in January 2006 with 270 students in tow. The MIHS band also applied to march in the Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C., in 2009, but was not chosen to participate.

Contact Mercer Island Reporter Reporter Megan Managan at mmanagan@mi-reporter.com or (206) 232-1215 ext. 5054.

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