FIRST THINGS FIRST:
As of 11/28, we do not know where we fall in the parade yet. Once we find out we will send out an itinerary as well as a specific report location. All that information depends on where we are in the parade.
SECOND THING:
Please, PLEASE plan to arrive WELL before the report time (once we know what it is) because downtown will be nearly impossible to navigate. Roads will be closed, others will be impassable. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the attached map before wading into the fray!
- Students that will be dropped off should be dropped off WEST of Spring Street. Students dropped off to the east will have to cross closed/blocked roads.
- Please plan ahead for a pick up location and don’t try to Marco Polo it that night – that way leads to madness, swear words, and tears.
- Students that are driving themselves should take a picture of their car and a recognizable building or street sign OR mark their location in a map app on their phone.
- Every. Single. Year. instructors and band parents spend at least an hour after the parade trying to help students find their cars. “I parked by the bank” or “I parked by a restaurant” does not narrow it down enough – there are dozens of banks and restaurants downtown in every direction.
WHAT DO WE WEAR?
Wind and percussion students:
- marching uniform jacket & bibbers and gloves
- NO SPATS, NO BALL CAPS
- each student will need a festive holiday hat (santa hat, reindeer antlers, a light up menorah, etc.)
- students may also decorate their instruments with lights, wrapping paper, ribbons, etc. AS LONG AS
- no adhesive is applied directly to the instrument/equipment
- it doesn’t impede your ability to play
Majorettes:
- Wear your field uniform
- Keep your track pants and pullovers on hand – if it’s really cold we’ll go with those.
- each student will need a festive holiday hat (santa hat, reindeer antlers, a light up menorah, etc.)
Color Guard:
- Wear the parade outfit you ordered
- each student will need a festive holiday hat (santa hat, reindeer antlers, a light up menorah, etc.)
REPORT LOCATION/TIME:
Again, we don’t know where we fall in the parade and therefore cannot say exactly when or where to report, but here’s what we’ve done in the past when we were the first band out on the parade route:
We usually meet up somewhere on Spring Street between Garden and Romana. It will be complete and utter CHAOS, y’all. Floats will begin lining up fully across Spring Street from Garden to Main blaring music and bands will be holed up in parking lots and on the street EVERYWHERE.
RELEASE LOCATION/TIME:
Again, we don’t know when we’ll be finished because we don’t know when we start.
Bands will step off the parade route onto Zaragossa Street at Baylen, in front of the County courthouse (that weird, blocky concrete building). Baylen is *usually* not closed, but it will be difficult to reach due to parade floats exiting the parade route.
PROTIPS:
Spring Street will be closed south of Garden. Much of Garden will be closed for the fun run and the upcoming parade. Palafox will be closed for SURE south of Garden, and probably parts of it north of Garden up to Wright Street.
If you are dropping off a student, I recommend avoiding the Garden street exit from I-110 completely. Take the Cervantes exit from 110 and head west to at least Reus St or all the way up to A Street, and then turn east onto Garden. You can drop students off on Garden to head south on Spring street to find us.
If your student is driving and parking, maybe take a trip downtown beforehand and find someplace outside the main chaos zone but nearby enough to walk.