Participants
The Vikingland Band Festival has drawn 84 different bands since its inception in 1985. Participants have come from seven different states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, South Carolina, South Dakota, Michigan), two Canadian provinces (Manitoba, Saskatchewan) and Norway.
Although many of the performing bands are experienced competitors with long-standing traditions of excellence, the festival welcomes younger bands as well. Organizers believe the education, intensity and sportsmanship can provide a valuable experience for any band.
The tradition of including non-competing "honor bands" in the parade was started in 1989 as a way to showcase a variety of marching styles. Styles represented have included foreign bands, military bands, bagpipes, drum and bugle corps and percussion lines.
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“A civilization which leaves so large a number of its participants unsatisfied and drives them into revolt neither has nor deserves the prospect of a lasting existence.”
—Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)