The Cavalcade of Bands sanctions about 42 high school marching band competitions throughout each fall from September to mid-November. Bands are judged on a 100-point linear scale by judges both on the field and in the press box. Bands are placed into one of five classes based on their size, and judged only within their class.
The five classes are:
- Independence (0-35 members)
- American (36-50 members)
- Liberty (51-70 members)
- Yankee (71-95 members)
- Patriot (96+ members)
During championship week, bands are divided once more within their class based on their average score throughout the season. Bands with the higher scores are placed into the "Open" division and bands with the lower scores are placed into the "A" division.
On January 1, 2019, the Cavalcade of Bands Honor Band performed in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. The band included over 100 students from 20 high schools in the Mid-Atlantic region.
List of Champions
More information Year, Independence ...
| Year | Independence | American | Liberty | Yankee | Patriot |
| OPEN | A | OPEN | A | OPEN | A | OPEN | A | OPEN | A |
| 1959 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Boyertown | — | — | — |
| 1960 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Wilson Boro | — | — | — |
| 1961 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Lebanon | — | — | — |
| 1962 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Wilson Boro | — | — | — |
| 1963 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Boyertown | — | — | — |
| 1964 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Boyertown | — | — | — |
| 1965 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Wilson | — | — | — |
| 1966 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Wilson | — | — | — |
| 1967 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Wilson | — | — | — |
| 1968 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Wilson | — | — | — |
| 1969 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Wilson | — | — | — |
| 1970 |
— | — | Salisbury | — | — | — | Wilson | — | — | — |
| 1971 |
— | — | Plymouth Whitemarsh | — | — | — | Wilson | — | — | — |
| 1972 |
— | — | Salisbury | — | — | — | Wilson | — | — | — |
| 1973 |
Danville | — | East Pennsboro | — | — | — | Wilson | — | — | — |
| 1974 |
Phoenixville | — | CB West | — | — | — | Plymouth Whitemarsh | — | — | — |
| 1975 |
Hanover | — | Hatboro Horsham | — | — | — | Plymouth Whitemarsh | — | — | — |
| 1976 |
Phoenixville | — | Shikellamy | — | — | — | Abington | — | — | — |
| 1977 |
ELCO | — | Shikellamy | — | — | — | Plymouth Whitemarsh | — | — | — |
| 1978 |
Upper Merion | — | Hanover | — | Warwick | — | Plymouth Whitemarsh | — | — | — |
| 1979 |
South Western | — | Upper Dublin | — | Shikellamy / Williamsport Area (tie) | — | Plymouth Whitemarsh | — | — | — |
| 1980 |
Ephrata | — | Manheim Township | — | Cumberland Valley | — | North Penn | — | — | — |
| 1981 |
Downingtown | — | Wissahickon | — | Northern Lebanon | — | North Penn | — | — | — |
| 1982 |
Phoenixville | — | Archbishop Ryan | — | Manhiem Township | — | North Penn | — | — | — |
| 1983 |
Upper Dublin | — | Hanover | — | Upper Moreland | — | Archbishop Ryan | — | — | — |
| 1984 |
Upper Dublin | — | Lake Lehman | — | Manheim Township | — | North Penn | — | — | — |
| 1985 |
Conrad Weiser | — | Abington | — | Downingtown | — | Shikellamy | — | — | — |
| 1986 |
Upper Dublin | — | Wissahickon | — | Upper Moreland | — | North Penn | — | — | — |
| 1987 |
Upper Dublin | — | Lake Lehman | — | Upper Moreland | — | North Penn | — | — | — |
| 1988 |
Upper Dublin | — | Hatboro Horsham | — | Spring Grove | — | North Penn | — | — | — |
| 1989 |
Upper Dublin | — | Upper Moreland | — | Manheim Township | — | North Penn | — | — | — |
| 1990 |
Archbishop Wood | — | Spring Grove | — | Hatboro Horsham | — | North Penn | — | — | — |
| 1991 |
Archbishop Wood | — | Penn Manor | — | Manheim Township | — | Shikellamy | — | — | — |
| 1992 |
Upper Dublin | — | South Western | — | Manheim Township | — | North Penn | — | — | — |
| 1993 |
Upper Dublin | — | Penn Manor | — | Hatboro Horsham | — | North Penn | — | — | — |
| 1994 |
Upper Dublin | — | South Western | — | Manheim Township | — | North Penn | — | — | — |
| 1995 |
Upper Dublin | — | Reading | — | Manheim Township | — | Downington | — | — | — |
| 1996 |
Methacton | — | Hatboro Horsham | South Western | — | — | North Penn | — | — | — |
| 1997 |
Lancaster Catholic | — | Upper Moreland | West Chester EAST | — | — | Hatboro Horsham | York Suburban / Hempfield (tie) | — | — |
| 1998 |
Plymouth Whitemarsh | — | Penn Manor | — | — | — | Lampeter Strasburg | Hempfield | — | — |
| 1999 |
Upper Dublin | — | Spring Grove | — | — | — | Lampeter Strasburg | York Suburban | — | — |
| 2000 |
Bishop McDevitt | Lebanon Catholic | Lancaster Catholic | — | — | — | South Western | — | — | — |
| 2001 |
Lebanon | Phoenixville | South Western | Conestoga Valley | — | — | Manheim Township | — | — | — |
| 2002 |
Bishop McDevitt | Lebanon Catholic | Phoenixville | Burlington City | — | — | Manheim Township | Marple Newtown | — | — |
| 2003 |
Lakewood | Pitman | Phoenixville | Oakcrest | Hatboro Horsham | West Chester EAST | Reading | South Western | — | — |
| 2004 |
Cinnaminson | Upper Dauphin | Phoenixville | Wissahickon | Burlington City | Coatesville | Spring Grove | OJ Roberts | — | — |
| 2005 |
Greencastle-Antrim | ChiChester | Kingsway Regional | Lenape | Oakcrest | Burlington City | South Western | Boyertown | — | — |
| 2006 |
Penns Grove
(92.35)
| Pottsgrove
(90.20)
| Hatboro Horsham
(98.05)
| Annville Cleona
(89.15)
| Warwick
(96.85)
| Conestoga Valley
(94.40)
| South Western
(97.35)
| Hempfield
(95.20)
| — | — |
| 2007 |
Henderson
(94.25)
| Bermudian Springs
(83.20)
| Susquehannock
(95.30)
| William Penn
(91.55)
| Warwick
(98.15)
| Archbishop Wood
(95.05)
| Manheim Township
(96.65)
| Coatesville
(94.15)
| — | — |
| 2008 |
Pittston
(95.10)
| Upper Perkiomen
(91.15)
| Hatboro Horsham
(93.70)
| Blue Mountain
(89.85)
| Warwick
(96.05)
| Unionville
(95.60)
| Spring-Ford
(98.10)
| Red Lion
(90.80)
| — | — |
| 2009 |
Pittston
(96.85)
| Bermudian Springs
(88.05)
| Hatboro Horsham
(95.15)
| Phoenixville
(88.20)
| New Oxford
(96.40)
| York Suburban
(89.40)
| Spring-Ford
(96.15)
| OJ Roberts
(88.15)
| — | — |
| 2010 |
Pittston
(95.65)
| Crestwood
(88.90) | Greencastle-Antrim
(94.85)
| Blue Mountain
(93.25)
| Southern Regional
(96.15)
| Manheim Central
(89.50)
| Spring-Ford
(95.95)
| Cheltenham
(91.15)
| — | — |
| 2011 |
Pittston
(93.20)
| Archbishop Wood
(87.70)
| Haverford
(94.45)
| Rustin
(91.95)
| Southern Regional
(97.35)
| Red Lion
(92.05)
| Upper Darby
(95.75)
| Wilson
(91.15)
| — | — |
| 2012 |
E. Stroudsburg North
(94.25)
| Bermudian Springs
(86.96)
| Susquehanna Township
(95.90)
| Pottsgrove
(89.95)
| Hatboro Horsham
(95.25)
| South Western
(93.00)
| Upper Darby
(96.65)
| Avon Grove
(93.65)
| — | — |
| 2013 |
E. Stroudsburg North
(94.25)
| Northern Lebanon
(88.15)
| Plymouth Whitemarsh
(97.05)
| Blue Mountain
(91.60)
| Hatboro Horsham
(96.85)
| South Western
(94.40)
| Spring-Ford
(97.10)
| Downingtown West
(94.40) | — | — |
| 2014 |
Pittston
(94.55)
| Sissonville
(87.40)
| East Pennsboro
(95.10)
| Great Valley
(91.00)
| New Oxford
(95.85)
| South Western
(91.00)
| Marple Newtown
(96.00)
| Upper Dublin
(91.80)
| Spring-Ford
(97.95)
| Red Lion
(92.50)
|
| 2015 |
Blue Mountain
(94.45)
| Sissonville
(92.25)
| Sun Valley
(96.10)
| Northampton
(92.15)
| Hatboro Horsham
(97.00)
| Daniel Boone
(92.30)
| Marple Newtown
(96.65)
| Kennett
(91.60)
| Upper Moreland
(97.70)
| Downingtown West
(91.70)
|
| 2016 |
Littlestown
(97.10)
| Cumberland Regional / Palisades (tie)
(91.35)
| Sun Valley
(95.95)
| Northampton
(93.05)
| Susquehannock
(98.15)
| Cheltenham
(93.15)
| Marple Newtown
(97.20)
| Upper Darby
(92.00)
| Spring-Ford
(97.70)
| Manheim Central
(92.25)
|
| 2017 |
E. Stroudsburg North
(94.05)
| Palisades
(88.50)
| Whitehall
(94.75)
| Loyalsock Township
(89.75)
| Susquehannock
(96.60)
| Great Valley
(92.30)
| Hempfield
(97.30)
| Coatesville
(90.50)
| Spring-Ford
(96.75)
| Downingtown East
(90.60)
|
| 2018 |
Cinnaminson
(93.70)
| Dieruff
(85.60)
| Whitehall
(96.40)
| Shikellamy
(89.85)
| Susquehannock
(97.40)
| Northern York
(92.70)
| Hempfield
(96.95)
| Upper Darby
(90.80)
| Spring-Ford
(95.75)
| Cumberland Valley
(91.10)
|
| 2019 |
Cinnaminson
(94.10)
| York Catholic
(89.35)
| Whitehall
(97.50)
| Loyalsock Township
(92.70)
| Camp Hill
(94.85)
| Washington Township
(89.70)
| Hempfield
(97.10)
| Red Lion
(92.00)
| Nazareth Area
(96.10)
| Neshaminy
(90.40)
|
| 20201 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021 |
Whitehall
(95.65) | Shikellamy (91.78) 2/ York Catholic (91.585) 3 | Susquehannock
(96.80) | South Western
(91.91) | Phoenixville
(92.50) | Upper Moreland
(93.225) | Nazareth Area
(96.25) | Red Lion
(90.53) | Spring-Ford
(96.30) | Cedar Crest
(92.57) |
| 2022 |
Haddon Heights
(96.100) | Biglerville
(95.985) | Williamsport Area
(96.000) | Hazleton Area
(94.035) | Susquehannock
(97.150) | Eastern York
(93.460) | Warwick
(94.250) | Pennridge
(95.100) | Nazareth Area
(97.650) | Cedar Crest
(92.515) |
| 2023 |
Biglerville
(92.550) | Donegal
(94.075) | Sun Valley
(94.000) | Pottsgrove
(94.325) | Susquehannock
(94.750) | Greencastle-Antrim
(93.525) | Nazareth Area
(95.650) | South Western
(91.475) | Upper Moreland
(97.400) | Red Lion Area
(93.525) |
| 2024 |
Donegal
(94.750) | Plymouth Whitemarsh
(92.850) | Williamsport Area
(95.150) | Shamokin Area
(90.900) | Susquehannock
(95.950) | Bloomsburg
(88.375) | Nazareth Area
(96.800) | Cumberland Valley
(89.400) | Hempfield
(95.500) |
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