America's premier high school marching band championship, with up to 112 bands from across the country competing over three days at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Bands of America Grand National Championships return to Lucas Oil Stadium from November 12 to 14, 2026. Presented by Yamaha and produced by Music for All, it's the season-ending championship of the BOA marching circuit, and it's one of those events that brings a huge chunk of the country's high school band scene into downtown Indianapolis for a single weekend.
Up to 112 high school marching bands make the trip, which means tens of thousands of student musicians, band directors, parents, alumni, and pageantry fans descend on the city. Lucas Oil Stadium is the only venue that can handle a crowd this size—it's got a covered field and a controlled climate, and it's close to thousands of hotel rooms, which is why Indianapolis has hosted it for decades. The competition runs over three days, with preliminary rounds split across two sessions. The highest-scoring bands from those prelims move on to the semifinals, and the whole thing culminates in a 12-band final on Saturday night when the Grand National Champion is crowned. That final is the marquee session of the weekend, and attendance is expected to exceed 60,000.
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If you're following along from home or want to keep track of who's moving through the brackets, Music for All publishes the running order, scores, and recap content at marching.musicforall.org throughout the event. The championships run November 12 through 14 at Lucas Oil Stadium, 500 S. Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46225.
