LONDON, UK — 109 students from Davenport Central High School got the chance of a lifetime to perform across the pond.
The school's Blue Devils marching band performed at London's New Year's Day Parade (LNYDP) on Sunday Jan. 1.
The band was one of 28 musical acts from around the world in a three-hour long parade.
Preparing for the Journey
Central High School was invited in February 2020 to perform in the 2022 parade, but that year's parade was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic.
"We talked earlier about the logistics, the build up and what it's going to take to get here," band director Alex Wilga said. "Now that we're here, it's not planning anymore - it's doing, it's happening and it's a lot more exciting!"
Preparing for the trip was a logistical challenge, as over 4,000 lbs. of band equipment and instruments had to be shipped to England - not to mention flying all the students, staff, chaperones and supporting family members.
However, amidst the cancellations and delays many travelers have faced towards the end of 2022, the marching band was met with no major issues.
"We got to O'Hare, got through everything really quickly," Wilga said. "The flight was fantastic. Getting into Heathrow was pretty easy. Getting through border control into the UK was really simple. You just scan your passport, they take a picture of you and you're done."
Touring London
Ahead of the performance, students got the chance to tour and sightsee around London.
The band did a walkthrough of the parade route and a "Rock and Roll" themed tour, exploring the musical history of London.
For junior trumpet player Carson Ford, he's excited to be in a completely new environment.
"I think it's a great learning experience," Ford said. "Besides just marching in the London parade, we get to experience a whole new culture, a whole new country, and we get to be in a new place."
However, it's a mix of nervousness and excitement leading up to the parade.
"It's been a little bit nerve wracking because of all the practicing and the preparation," Ford said. "We're going to be marching in one of the world's biggest parades and there's going to be millions and millions of people watching - so it makes me pretty nervous, but I'm also really excited at the same time."
The Big Day
The performance happened at 12:00-3:00 PM GMT (6:00-9:00 AM Central Time) on Sunday Jan. 1.
Students marched with the American flag and in colorful mosaic outfits representing the Quad Cities.
The parade started at Green Park on Piccadilly, passing by several landmarks in London like Trafalgar Square and Downing Street (where the Prime Minister resides) before ending at the Westminster stop near Parliament Square.
The students said there was nervousness at first, as an average of over 1 million people view the parade in person, with over 150 million watching across the world through TV and Internet broadcasts - however, that nervousness quickly faded away after playing the first few notes.
"I got butterflies in my stomach and I was so nervous, and I was so excited!" sophomore tuba player Ellison Kern said. "When I got my instrument in my hands, and I was lined up, ready to go off into the parade - all of that went away. I looked around me and saw how beautiful London was, and I was just stunned."
Parent chaperones were also at the parade cheering on their kids.
Jason Smith has two children in the band: senior trumpet player Jon and junior mellophone player Maddox. He said he's very happy to see everything come together after how hard the students have been working.
"To see the band turn the corner on Whitehall carrying the American flag and the state of Iowa... it was a really neat moment, and an incredible proud moment to see how these kids were representing our community, our state and our country," Jason Smith said.
The Blue Devils have one more performance in London before heading home to the Quad Cities.
They are performing at Cadogan Hall - the same venue that hosts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
A recording of the parade is available on the LNYDP YouTube page here.
The same YouTube channel will have a recording of the Cadogan Hall performance, which starts at 7:30 PM GMT (1:30 PM Central Time) on Monday Jan. 2.
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