The Parade Band Foundation will host the Liberty Station Band Review on Veterans Day, Saturday, Nov. 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Liberty Station. The Liberty Station Band Review will feature performances by more than 10 Southern California high-school marching bands, professional judging and an awards ceremony, with a military salute, followed by a festival featuring food, live music and other entertainment. The bands will march around Liberty Station for the public to enjoy and perform for a panel of professional judges in front of the Dick Laub NTC Command Center.
“We are happy to welcome the Liberty Station Band Review for the first time to our community. Our plan is to make this a flagship event for our neighborhood — welcoming it for years to come,” said Marco Li Mandri, executive director of the Liberty Station Community Association.
Participating marching bands confirmed so far include Sweetwater High School, Calexico High School, Diamond Bar High School and South El Monte High School. The bands will begin marching at 10 a.m. and the community festival will start at 11 a.m. There will be food trucks and live entertainment — including stage performances, kids’ gymnastics, face painting and more at the festival for the public to enjoy after watching the marching bands and seeing the awards ceremony. Diamond Bar High School will perform a military salute to veterans, military and their families — featuring a medley of songs.
“After six years of holding the Parade Band Foundation’s Band Review in Chula Vista, we are thrilled to bring this premier event to Liberty Station. With this year’s event falling on Veterans Day, it’s the perfect location given the neighborhood’s rich military history,” said Neil Anderson, president of the Parade Band Foundation. “The community is invited to celebrate healthy competition among marching bands and gather to salute our men and women in uniform on this special holiday at Liberty Station.”
The Parade Band Foundation created the Liberty Station Band Review to restore notoriety and recognition to marching parade bands, which are disappearing due to a lack of funding, and in doing so foster a tighter-knit community.
Street closures during the event include Historic Decatur Road between Womble Road and Dewey Road, Dewey Road between Historic Decatur Road and Cushing Road, Cushing Road between Womble Road and Dewey Road, and Womble Road between Historic Decatur Road and Cushing Road. Roads will be closed at 8:45 a.m. and reopened at 11 a.m. after the marching band performances are complete. The event is free and open to the public, concluding at 4 p.m.
The Liberty Station Band Review is sponsored by the Liberty Station Community Association, Arts District Liberty Station, the County of San Diego (Districts 1 and 4), Bertrand’s Music and THX Transport, LLC.
For more information about the Liberty Station Band Review or for neighborhood updates, visit libertystation.com.
