The Aquabats Cadet Faction
The Aquabats Cadet Faction is the official fan club of the band, and its members are commonly referred to as Aquacadets. While the benefits of enrollment are regularly updated with each re-issuing of the membership packages, Aquacadets are usually allowed access to exclusive merchandise, an official newsletter, a personalized ID card and entrance to semi-annual fan conventions known as Cadet Summits. These Summits are held in southern California and include meet and greets with the band, raffles and door prizes, and live performances by The Aquabats and their related side projects. There have been five such Summits held over the years, with the first held on October 25, 1997 in Fountain Valley and the most recent held on July 22, 2006 in San Diego, which included a complete performance of The Return of the Aquabats album in celebration of the tenth anniversary of its release.
Fans are encouraged to attend these events and the band's concerts in costume. These costumes often include official items that are available as part of the band's merchandise catalogue, but also consist of homemade and personalized outfits, a practice The Aquabats actively encourage and sometimes award at Cadet Summits. Some fans have also independently formed splinter factions of the Aquacadets such as the "Astrobats", "Piratebats" and "Ninjabats", outfitting themselves with accordingly themed customized apparel to show their support for the band.
Among The Aquabats' hundreds of cadets is Reel Big Fish lead singer Aaron Barrett, who can be seen wearing a cadet patch in the music video for Reel Big Fish's "Party Down".
Read more about this topic: The Aquabats
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