The Vikingland Band Festival parade marching championship is held annually in Alexandria, Minnesota on the last Sunday of June. The event was founded in 1985 and is widely regarded as the midwest's biggest and most prestigious summer marching band competition. It is often regarded as the unofficial state championship for parade marching in Minnesota.
The parade features only marching bands. It does not include floats or other units commonly associated with parades. Bands march at a three-block interval to prevent their music from blending together. Alexandria's extra-wide main street provides a venue for the performances.
A panel of six judges provides taped feedback and scores for each band. Placement awards are presented to every band, with the top band in each class earning the distinction of Class Champion. The overall high scoring band of the day is named the Grand Champion. Each champion band is awarded a traveling flag to carry for one year. If a band wins its champion title for three consecutive years, the band earns the right to keep the flag. Caption awards are presented for the top wind section, percussion section and color guard in each class.
One band is named the "People's Choice" by a panel of non-professional judges.
Participants
The Vikingland Band Festival has drawn 95 different bands since its inception in 1985. Participants have come from seven different states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, South Carolina, South Dakota, Michigan), three Canadian provinces (Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan), and Norway (five times).
Although many of the performing bands are experienced competitors with long-standing traditions of excellence, the festival welcomes younger bands as well. Organizers believe the education, intensity, and sportsmanship can provide a valuable experience for any band.
The tradition of including non-competing "honor bands" in the parade was started in 1989 as a way to showcase a variety of marching styles. Styles represented have included foreign bands, military bands, bagpipes, drum and bugle corps, and percussion lines.
History
Eight different bands have earned the title of Grand Champion:
Long Prairie (1985)
Henry Sibley High School (1986, 2018, 2019)
Litchfield (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1998)
Irondale High School (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996)
Park Center High School (1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012)
Mankato 77 Lancers (2000, 2002, 2010)
Waconia Marching Band (2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2016, 2022)
728 Cadets (2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2023)
No awards were presented during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 (online video format) nor in 2021 (live event with ratings-only format and no awards ceremony). Competition resumed in 2022.
Since 1989 the festival has presented traveling flags to the Grand Champion and Class Champion bands. A band can retire a flag in its honor by winning the title three consecutive years. Four bands have retired Grand Champion flags: Litchfield (1989), Irondale (1993, 1996), Waconia (2006), and the 728 Cadets (2015). Eleven bands have retired Class Champion flags: Bertha-Hewitt (1990, 1997), Dassel-Cokato (2019), Irondale (1993, 1996), Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (2011, 2014, 2017, 2022), Litchfield (1989, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2002), Long Prairie (1989, 1995, 1998), Park Center (1999, 2007), Sauk Rapids-Rice (2009), Winona Cotter (1994, 2006), Waconia (2015), and the 728 Cadets (2015).