Southmoore High School's marching band has accepted an invitation to perform in London's New Year's Day Parade on Jan. 1, 2028, sending 220 students from Moore, Oklahoma across the Atlantic for what would be the school's fourth trip to the United Kingdom. The invitation was delivered in person at the high school, and it comes with a price tag: roughly $4,000 per student to make the trip happen.
Parade Leaders Deliver the Invitation in Person
According to Moore Public Schools, Bob Bone, co-founder and chair of the London Parade, and event ambassador Duncan Sandys traveled to Southmoore High School to personally extend the invitation. The district's announcement notes that Bone addressed all 220 Pride of Southmoore band students during the visit, a detail that underscores just how large a group is being asked to travel overseas. It won't be a solo trip for the marching band alone — the school's jazz band and concert band are also slated to take part in the parade's Festival Concert Series, per the district.
As reported by News 9, Duncan Sandys told the students that the founders and patrons of London's New Year's Day Parade and Festival were extending the invitation directly to the Southmoore band. Bone, described as the parade's chairman and founder, said at least half a million and probably nearly two-thirds of a million people attend the event on New Year's Day. Southmoore band director Adam Mewhorter called the parade an event of a lifetime, according to the same News 9 report.
A Fourth Trip Across the Pond
This will mark Southmoore's fourth trip to the United Kingdom, following its first invitation in 2016 and subsequent parade appearances in 2020 and 2024, the district said. The Pride of Southmoore has built a reputation to match that track record: News 9 reports the band has earned multiple state championships across several categories and was named a Grand National semifinalist, placing it among the top 27 bands in the country.
Getting a group that size overseas is no small feat. Mewhorter told News 9 that transporting more than 200 band members, along with their instruments and family members, to London is a big logistical hurdle, and the band will need extensive planning and fundraising to pull off the overseas transportation. Preparation for the 2028 trip will begin in November 2027 and include five to ten extra hours of early-morning and evening practices, per the district's announcement.
Fundraising Already Underway
Southmoore band student Trinity Lay told News 9 she's preparing for a lot of fundraising and the long trip overseas. The band has already started raising money for the trip, and the district points families to southmooreband.com for support information. Moore Public Schools also shared news of the invitation on LinkedIn, framing the trip as a chance for students to represent their school, community and state on a global stage.
How Big Is the Parade, Really?
Just how big the spectacle is depends on who's counting. The district's own announcement pegs the 2028 event at roughly 8,000 performers watched by about 500,000 people in London and 350 million more on television. News 9's report on the invitation describes more than 8,500 participants and hundreds of thousands of spectators. Older estimates vary further still: a 2015 report from News9.com put the figure at 10,000 performers and half a million spectators, while an event package on Varsity.com advertises performing alongside 10,000 participants before a street-side crowd topping one million and a worldwide TV audience exceeding 20 million. A 2016 account from KOCO described the parade as roughly twice the size of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, drawing nearly a million spectators and nearly 300 million television viewers. Separately, the parade draws more than a half-million attendees and is broadcast worldwide.
Southmoore Joins a Growing List of Oklahoma Bands
Southmoore is far from the only Oklahoma program with London on its calendar. Edmond Santa Fe High School's band was invited to march in the 2027 parade, marking its eighth appearance since 1998. Putnam City participants have also taken part. Stillwater High School's String Orchestra made a similar journey in 2016, joining the International Choral Festival and parade events, per KFOR. The district source also links to londonparade.com.
