ALEXANDRIA — It is once again time to strike up the bands as marching bands from across Minnesota gather in Alexandria this coming weekend for the 38th annual Vikingland Band Festival.
The festival, scheduled for Sunday, June 26, at 1:30 p.m., will feature more than 1,100 performers in 17 marching units walking down Broadway.
The parade travels south on Broadway from Fourth Avenue to 15th Avenue. For the best viewing, spectators are invited to gather in four performance zones where every band is expected to play. These zones are along Broadway near Sixth, Eighth, 11th and 14th Avenues.
The performance order for this year is as follows: Alexandria, Richfield, Winona Cotter, Fergus Falls, River City Rhythm, Two Rivers, St. Michael-Albertville, Dassel-Cokato, 728 Cadets, Sauk Rapids-Rice, Sartell-St. Stephen, Milaca, Annandale Drumline, Hibbing, Waconia, Champlin Park and Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg.
The Alexandria Police Department would like to remind everyone there will be no parking on Broadway from Fourth Avenue to 15th Avenue. Any vehicles not moved by 12:30 pm. on Sunday, June 26, will be towed to make way for the parade. Drivers should use caution near Sixth and Eighth Avenues as bleachers will be set up in the intersections early Sunday morning.
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The Vikingland Band Festival committee thanks residents along Fourth Avenue West and the surrounding streets for their cooperation as those streets will be used for the parade lineup area. “No parking” signs will be put in place on Saturday evening and the streets should be cleared of vehicles by Sunday morning as the bands begin to line up.
A highlight of the festival will be two special guest units — the River City Rhythm Drum and Bugle Corps, and the Annandale High School Drumline. The Alexandria Marching Band will serve as the host band for the weekend and will perform in exhibition.
The 2022 grand marshal is Greg DeGier, who recently retired as a band director from Alexandria Public Schools and who has served as a volunteer on the Vikingland Band Festival committee for 22 years.
The Vikingland Band Festival is made possible by the support of more than 50 sponsors and dozens of volunteers.
For more information, and to purchase tickets in the bleacher seating areas, visit the official website at VikinglandBandFestival.com.
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