The Big Cat Marching Invitational is back with bangs in 2021 after being postponed last year due to the pandemic. Hosted by D’Evelyn High School and Lakewood High, the marching band competition will take place on Saturday, October 16, at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada.
Twenty-three high school teams from across Colorado will compete during the all-day program, and judging is based on fifteen-minute performances. Each band must be a member of the Colorado Bandmasters Association to compete.
Preliminaries with Arvada High will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. after a Lakewood High performance. Of the 23 schools competing, only twelve will qualify for the finals, which will take place from 6-9:30 p.m. and conclude with the D’Evelyn High Show. Prize distribution is scheduled for 9:40 PM
Big cat rally invitation
Fans will be allowed into the stadium starting at 9:15 AM. Tickets start at $8, with prices determined by age and event (admission is free for children 5 and under). Organizers expect between 4,000 and 5,000 spectators throughout the day.
Prizes will be awarded from 1st to 3rd place for each represented squad category, and each of the twelve squads that reach the finals will receive a finalist prize. The first three prizes in the competition are given for High Visual, High Music and High General Effect.
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The Big Cat Invitational Opening Ceremony took place in 2019, when the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the open classes were Legacy, Monarch, and Mesa Ridge High Schools, respectively. All three will return to this year’s competition.
Big Cat is one of the ten parade festivals recognized by the CBA. The CBA State Marching Regionals competition will begin October 18, and the finals will be held October 30 at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
The call for the Big Cat Walk on Saturday, October 16, at 19500 West 64 Parkway; Shows start at 10 am. For information, visit Big Cat’s website; For tickets, go to Lakewood Council for the Performing Arts website; For more information about the Colorado Bandmasters Association and the upcoming state championship, visit Colorado Bandmasters Association website.
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