The Evans High School marching band will be preparing over the next year to perform during a televised New Year’s event in London in 2026.
Nearly half of the school’s marching band students will be performing at London’s New Year’s Day Parade (LNYDP) on Jan. 1, 2026. Band Director Zachary Bradley said this is the sixth time EHS will travel to Europe for the largescale event, the first time being in 1990 and most recently, 2012.
The London experience
“We’ll spend a week in London and then we’ll do all the fun sightseeing things, and then we’ll perform for both the physical audience and television audience,” said Bradley.
This won’t be Bradley’s first time going to this event; he was able to attend as a student teacher during the previous trip twelve years ago. “This will be my first time leading the charge,” he said.
LNYDP, which is comparable to our Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade, will showcase over 10,000 participants from the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and beyond.
According to the LNYPD website, the street audience will be made up of over 500,000 viewers, while the TV broadcast reaches more than 500,000,000 each year.
Acceptance and participation
Bradley said their official invite was received in March, after the submission of a two-part application including a video recording of a performance and a recommendation letter from former EHS band director Richard Brasco who served in the role from 1989-2002.
Not every band student will be able to attend the event, according to Bradley. Around 100 EHS band members are currently expected to participate.
He said that the opportunity is beneficial for all students in the band program regardless of their participation.
“To say that your high school band traveled and performed in London, even if you didn’t go, it’s a pretty big deal,” Bradley said.
Student perspective
Junior band student Ian Patterson said he looks forward to his first international trip.
“I’ve never been out of the country…so it’s kind of a big deal for me,” he said. “Probably a lot of the kids out here as well have never been out of the country.”
Patterson expressed excitement that he’ll get to attend the parade during his senior year.
“It’s a good way to end high school,” he said.
The tuba player noted that he started with band in the sixth grade, taking after his musically-inclined father.
“I’ve always had a love for music,” said Patterson.
Call for donations
The EHS band program is accepting donations to support the upcoming trip. More information on how to help can be obtained by emailing Zachary Bradley at zachary.bradley@ccboe.net.
