Cary Band Day
Cary Band Day is a high school marching band field competition and parade that has been held annually since 1958 by the Cary High School Bandprogram in Cary, North Carolina, United States. Research from other schools probably make this the longest running high school marching band field competition in the nation. Schools from North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee have participated in this event in the past years. The event is usually held on the first Saturday in November.
The parade starts in downtown Cary at 10AM and proceeds to the high school AbOUT 1.7 miles away. This is certainly a community event as scores of citizens and volunteers put many hours into making sure the visiting bands have a wonderful experience in Cary. Field competiting bands are not required to march in the parade, however prizes are given to those bands in the parade. The "Heart of Cary" award is the most impressive award a parade band can win as this is judged by various alumni and citizens along the parade route.
Number of bands competiting during the field competition varies from 28 to 40 units. Usually the competition will begin at 12 Noon on Cooper Field on the campus of Cary High School. Bands compete in order of unit members. Small units will go first during the day with larger high school units competiting through the night. Final awards will end somewhere around 11:30 or midnight depending on number of units scheduled.