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The Marching Captains stepped into the new year in a memorable, musical way by wowing an in-person and global TV audience for London’s New Year’s Day Parade.
The band made a return visit to the four hour-long extravaganza that culminated in an enthusiastic performance in the shadow of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.
“It was a surreal experience to walk down such a historic route and see hundreds of thousands of people smiling and waving at us,” said Drum Major Patrick Wood ‘25. “It felt like a dream to march through Trafalgar Square and finish the parade with a beautiful view of the Elizabeth II tower.”
Family members, friends and University supporters packed the viewing stand and President William Kelly and First Lady Angie Kelly greeted the Marching Captains at parade’s end.
Billed as “The Greatest Event in the Greatest City in the World,” the parade features 8,000 performers drawn from 20 countries around the world with 750,000 spectators along the route and six million TV viewers worldwide.
The 2025 edition started under soggy, foggy very-London skies but the weather mostly cleared by the time the Marching Captains, the final band in the parade, made their way to Parliament Square. As they entered what the parade organizers call the Performance Arena, the hosts on the broadcast noted the band’s previous trip to London in 2012.
“They are the most unlucky band on earth, the last time they came to London it poured all afternoon but it didn’t daunt their spirits and I’m sure we’re going to get another super performance,” said host and parade founder Bob Bone. “Over 200 members of this band, amazing, look at them, welcome to London,” said co-host Daisy Tormé.
With that, Director Dr. Mark Johnson raised his baton, the Marching Captains joyfully performed “Let’s Dance” and 2025, in London and around the world, began on just the right note.“The Marching Captains brought the high energy performance that we are known for from TowneBank Stadium to the streets of London,” Johnson said. “This was a once in a lifetime experience for our students and they loved every minute of it.”