Lake Charles Toyota Gulf Coast Marching Band Championship

McNeese State University will host the 2021 Lake Charles Toyota Gulf Coast Marching Band Championship from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, at Cowboy Stadium.

Eighteen high school bands from Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas will perform before a panel of music educators. Each team will receive written and recorded comments, a festival rating and overall top-5 competitive rankings.

The evening will conclude with an exhibition performance by the Pride of McNeese Marching Band, followed by an awards ceremony.

Gates will open at 9:30 a.m. Admission is $12 for adults and $5 for children under 12. All proceeds from the event support McNeese Bands.

“It’s great to have so many high school bands from the local area and surrounding states and this program gives these bands the opportunity to show off their hard work, especially after most band programs were unable to perform during 2020,” says director of bands Dr. Jay Sconyers. “It also gives students the chance to see the Pride of McNeese and what McNeese has to offer. We are excited to return to the field and show off our exciting program and excellent students and to show future students why McNeese is a first choice university for so many.”

Participating Louisiana bands include: Barbe High School, Lake Charles; Benton High School; Central Lafourche High School, Raceland; DeRidder High School; Iowa High School; Kinder High School; LaGrange High School, Lake Charles; Pineville High School; Rayne High School; Sam Houston High School, Moss Bluff; South Beauregard High School, Longville; Sulphur High School; Vinton High School; Washington-Marion Magnet High School, Lake Charles; and Westlake High School. Out-of state schools are: Grenada High School in Grenada, Mississippi: and C. E. King High School in Houston, Texas, and West Brook High in Beaumont, Texas.

Persons needing accommodations as provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the ADA Coordinator at 337-475-5428, voice; 337-475-5960, fax; 337-562-4227, TDD/TTY, hearing impaired; or by email at cdo@mcneese.edu.