HUNTSVILLE — The Huntsville High School band may be having tea and crumpets to celebrate the 2024 new year, instead of black-eyed peas and collard greens.
After all, they’ll be in London to perform in that city’s New Year’s Day Parade & Festival
Festival Chair and Founder Bob Bone and Steve Summers, chair of the London Mayors’ Association, formally invited the 160-member HHS Marching Panther Band, their directors, and others Thursday.
Bone said it is a requirement of the parade’s patrons that each invitation to the event be delivered personally.
“… We’ve come here today to Huntsville High because [of] it’s fantastic reputation for performance, and we’re going to be absolutely delighted to welcome them to the streets of London in the first of January 2024,” he said.
According to Bone, the parade has more than 10,000 participants from 22 countries every year. The street audience is about 750,000 people while the television audience pulls in around 350 million viewers.
“It’s a pretty big deal,” he said.
“We’re certainly honored to accept this invitation today,” said Band Director Stuart Tankesley. “The kids deserve this, they’re dedicated, they’re committed to our process, and they believe in our directors and staff here, and so we’re very excited to go and perform at an international level.”
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