A couple of weeks ago, on Oct. 5, Bethel Park hosted its annual Band Festival. There were nine total performers and bands who participated that night, including Bethel Park’s marching band, drumline, and Top 21, RMU, Avella, Belle Vernon, Canon McMillan, and South Fayette.

To kick the night off, the Bethel Park marching band performed their pre-game show, along with Top 21, who sang the Star-Spangled Banner under the direction of the choir director, Mr. Kuczawa.

Following the Bethel Park pre-game show, all of the high school marching band members performed, and the audience got to see a college band as well. RMU took the field and showed off their amazing sound and marching. After RMU, Avella showed off their marching band with the packed house at Black Hawk Stadium. Following Avella, only one more band played before intermission, which was Belle Vernon. The audience had the pleasure of watching the 111 student marching bands perform, which was one of the largest of the evening.

During intermission, the Bethel Park drumline performed for the crowd. They performed rounds of Cadence and other charting routines that they have worked on the past couple of months.

Northgate kicked off the second half of the evening. Despite being one of the smaller bands, they showed off their hard work and talent, including their amazing style of marching and music. Following them, Canon McMillan’s “Big Mac” band took the field. They were the largest band in attendance, with 254 total performers. They had amazing charting and music to share with everyone that night. The last guest band to perform was “The Little Green Machine” South Fayette Band. Their high energy performances never get old, and they are one of the most entertaining bands to watch in all of western Pennsylvania.

Lastly, the Bethel Park Black Hawk marching band took the field. For their home festival performance, they combined their first show with the Homecoming show. Their nearly 200 student band closed out the night with multiple songs like: “Call Me,” “Hooray For Hollywood,” “Disney Parade Sequence,” and more. And, of course, they finished their performance with “Hot Time Bethel Victory,” a Bethel Park tradition for over 50 years.

The Home Band Festival is always a highlight of the entire marching band season. We hope to see you next year for the 53rd Band Festival!