Barrington High School

BARRINGTON HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND & COLOR GUARD LONDON NEW YEAR’S DAY PARADE - 2018 TOUR DATES: DECEMBER 27th, 2017 – JANUARY 3rd, 2018

To: All 2017-18 current BHS Band Members and Families, and 8th grade BMS Station and Prairie band members and families

Re: Informational meeting - 2018 London New Year’s Day Parade and Music Festival – BHS Auditorium – 7PM – Monday, Oct. 17th

In April of 2016, the Barrington High School Bronco Marching Band and Color Guard was officially invited to represent the state of Illinois in the 2018 London New Year’s Day Parade and Festival! In September, we were given the official invitation at a ceremony at Barrington High School presented to us by the director of the London New Year’s Day Parade and the Lord Mayor of Westminster.

On Monday, October 17th at 7:00PM, you are cordially invited to an informational session about the parade and tour to England in the Barrington High School auditorium. Detailed information, trip costs, and sample itineraries will be discussed. All BHS band and color guard members and their families (including incoming 8th grade band members for next year) are invited.

Here is an overview of the trip and performances:

With more than 10,000 performers from around the world, over 500,000 spectators lining the streets, and a worldwide television viewing audience of more than 300 million people, the LNYDP is the largest New Year’s Day street event in the world. It is a tremendous honor to once again be chosen by the Parade and Festival organizers as one of roughly 20 high school and university marching bands to represent the United States in the festivities.

The BHS Bronco Marching Band and Color Guard will join other performers from the UK, the US and abroad as they march along the two-mile parade route past some of central London’s most iconic landmarks. Starting at the Ritz Hotel, the parade route will take them up Piccadilly to Piccadilly Circus, down Regent Street and along Pall Mall to Trafalgar Square, turning right onto Whitehall past the British Prime Minister’s home and office at 10 Downing Street and on to Parliament Square.

The parade is just one of the incredible experiences that the musicians will have during this amazing 8-day trip. We will take a bus tour of the city of London, a half-day trip out to the historic country town of Windsor to tour the 900-year-old castle which is home to the British Monarch (she was in residence when we were there last time,) a boat tour up the River Thames to Greenwich to visit the Royal Observatory and the Maritime Museum where the musicians can have their photo taken standing on both sides of the Prime Meridian, as well as an afternoon at the Tower of London.

Musicians and their chaperones may choose to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace or the street performers at Trafalgar Square, go shopping at Harrod’s or Hamley’s (the oldest and largest toy store in the world), visit Covent Garden or the Borough Market, take an audio tour past Big Ben and the House of Parliament, walk up to the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral or through Westminster Abbey. They will have the opportunity to visit some of London’s famous museums including The British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, The Science Museum, The Museum of London, The Natural History Museum, or the National Gallery. We might even have the chance to take a ride on the London Eye!

The BHS Marching Band will also have the incredible experience of participating in the “Music for London” Gala Concert during our visit. On our previous trip to London, the BHS Band had the privilege of performing on the stage of the century-old Cadogan Hall, home of the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It was a truly magical evening!

The cost of the trip will include round-trip airfare to London, transportation to and from both O’Hare and Heathrow, hotel accommodations for 7 days and 6 nights, food, tours, an unlimited London Tube ticket for transportation throughout London, private New Year’s Eve celebration, activities and other performance related expenses.

Payments will be spread out over the next 15 months with the first deposit due in November. Over the course of the next 15 months, we will offer a variety of fundraising opportunities for musicians to raise money for their individual travel accounts to help off-set the cost of the trip. These opportunities will be extended to our current 8th graders as well. There will also be an option for family members to purchase a travel package if they would like to join the band on their London tour. If you have a current senior in the band, they are certainly welcome to join us as an alum on the trip.

We hope to see you for this introductory meeting MONDAY, OCTOBER 17TH, 7:00PM IN THE BHS AUDITORIUM!!

We hope that your musician will be able to join us for this once-in-a-lifetime experience next December!

Regards,

Randy Karon Dir. of Bands, Barrington High School