Venice High School Band to perform in London for New Years parade in 2025

The Venice High Marching Band will perform in London for a New Year's Day parade in January 2025, the school announced in a press release.

About 100 Venice High band students will travel to London for about a week during the district’s winter break and will perform alongside more than 8,000 performers. The event will stream on PBS with a street audience of about half a million people, according to the release. The school is set to host a press conference Monday afternoon with guests from London to formally announce the performance.

David Wing, the band’s director, said that support for the trip was overwhelming among students and their families. He said he believed the trip would be the first-ever overseas performance for Venice High’s band.

“The kids are really excited about this. The families are excited. Our school is excited. I'm excited, as you can tell,” Wing said.

Performing in London feels like the next logical step for the band, Wing said. Venice High's band has performed across the U.S. and earned acclaimed ratings for their performances. Last year, the band was asked to perform at Disney but ultimately chose to pull out of the performance because Disney asked that the school's Native American logo be covered.

The trip to London will cost about $3,700 per student, Wing said, and fundraising efforts are already underway. Those who wish to donate or sponsor a student’s trip to London can do so at www.vhsmusicboosters.com.

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Venice High Band to perform in London for New Years parade in 2025