BOA 2023 by the Numbers
We're days away from the first shows of the 2023 BOA season and to get you ready, here's some facts and figures about the upcoming year.
We’re officially into the second week of September, so you know what that means - the fall marching band season is upon us.
The 2023 Bands of America season officially kicks off this weekend on September 16th, with two regionals in Whitewater, WI, and Louisville, KY. This season will feature 25 Regional Championships, 3 Super Regional Championships, and, as always, Grand National Championships. In terms of number of events, this will be the biggest BOA season ever, topping last year’s previous record of 26 total events. The season will include several shows at returning regions and venues from recent years, with new events in Chattanooga, TN; Memphis, TN; Conway, SC; and Troy, AL. It also sees the return of the Indianapolis and St. Louis Super Regionals and nine total events in Texas, including the San Antonio Super Regional the week before Grand Nationals.
To get you hyped and ready for the next two months of band, we thought it’d be fun to share the upcoming season “by the numbers,” looking at some facts, figures, and how this year will stack up with recent BOA seasons. Let’s dive in.
(Note: All numbers were derived using schedules and participating band lists from event pages at marching.musicforall.org as of Sunday, September 10. Numbers are subject to change as bands enroll in or withdraw from events throughout the season. Additionally, it is indicated on event pages on the Music for All website that any waitlisted bands are included on participating band lists.)
2023 Bands by the Numbers
To date, Bands of America heads into the 2023 season with 665 bands signed up for 874 prelims performance spots across all 29 events. While we don’t have the complete historical data to confirm, we can assume that both are new records, given the number of shows. Below are the numbers from recent seasons for comparison:
2019: 587 bands signed up for 799 prelims spots
2021: 474 bands signed up for 659 prelims spots
2022: 625 bands signed up for 850 prelims spots
Of the 665 bands, 38 of the 50 United States are represented. Unsurprisingly, Texas leads the way by a wide margin with 188 participating bands. Midwestern states round out the top 5, with Indiana with 51 bands, Ohio with 48 bands, Missouri with 32 bands, and Illinois with 31 bands. Five of the 38 states are represented by only a single band - Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, South Dakota, and West Virginia. A complete list of the number of participating bands by state can be seen below.
Most bands are signed up for only a single event - 477, to be exact. Of the remaining 178 bands, 140 will be appearing at two events, 35 will be appearing at three events, and only three will be appearing at four events: Lawrence Township (IN), James Bowie (TX), and Claudia Taylor Johnson (TX).
2023 Events by the Numbers
As mentioned in the article intro, there will be 29 events this fall, the most ever in a BOA season. Seventeen different states will host an event; the states hosting multiple events are Texas (9), Tennessee (3), Indiana (2), and Ohio (2). After Grand Nationals, the three Super Regionals are the most enrolled shows per usual - 71 bands are signed up for San Antonio, 68 in Indianapolis, and 65 in St. Louis. Of the 25 single-day Regionals, an impressive 20 have at least 20 bands signed up, while four have more than 30 signed up - St. George, UT; Orlando, FL; Prosper, TX; and West Houston, TX.
Whitewater, WI is currently the smallest event, with only ten participating bands signed up. However, most marching arts enthusiasts will know Whitewater as the host city of the first two ever DCI World Championships events in 1972 and 1973. Whitewater was also the host city of the first ever BOA Summer Nationals event in 1976, which was the de facto national championship event until the first fall Grand Nationals event in 1980. BOA would continue to host both events annually until the final Summer Nationals event in 1989. Whitewater has not hosted a BOA event since, making this year’s Regional Championship the first event in the city in over 30 years.
Which events will be the most competitive? One way we can answer that is by looking at the Grand National semifinalist and finalist bands from the 2021 and 2022 seasons and which shows they will be competing at. From those two seasons, 19 unique bands were named Grand National finalists at least once (five bands made finals both seasons), and 49 bands were named semifinalists at least once (19 bands made semifinals both seasons). With these lists and criteria, 13 events in 2023 will feature at least one Grand Nationals finalist from the past two seasons, and 22 will feature at least one Grand Nationals semifinalist. The breakdown of these events and the number of finalist and semifinalist bands is below. After the Super Regionals near the top of the list, four events will feature at least three past finalists: Louisville, KY; Bedford, TX; West Houston, TX; and Prosper, TX.
Another way to look at the competitiveness of different events is by how many 2022 Regional finalists are attending each show. In total, 248 unique bands earned the Regional or Super Regional finalist title at least once in the 2022 season. Of those bands, 229 will return to a BOA event in 2023. San Antonio leads the way in this metric, with 38 out of 71 bands being named finalists last year. Grand Nationals and Indianapolis are next on the list with 31 and 21 finalists from 2022, respectively, and the two Dallas area events in Bedford and Prosper round out the top 5 with 18 finalists each.
2023 Grand Nationals by the Numbers
Grand Nationals is packed once again with 91 participating bands this year. While this is a few bands shy of the 99 that attended in both 2021 and 2022, it makes this year the tenth consecutive Grand Nationals with at least 90 bands. Seventeen states will be represented, while the vast majority of bands joining are from Midwestern states; 66 bands hail from Indiana or one of its four neighboring states of Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and Illinois. Of the 91 bands competing, 31 were named a Regional finalist in 2022, and 49 will compete in an earlier BOA event this fall before Grand Nationals.
Every year, the spotlight is on any Texas bands that make the trip to Grand Nationals. This year, eight are slated to compete, the most ever at any Grand Nationals. As usual, we can count on all of them to be in contention for at least a spot in semifinals. If at least seven were to advance to finals, it would make for the most ever Texas bands in a Grand Nationals finals, topping the previous record of six set in 2019 and matched again in 2021.
Nevada and Massachusetts are two other states that should be given some attention this year. Both states will be represented in Grand Nationals this year for only the second time each. Pinecrest Academy Cadence from Nevada will return for their second appearance, following their first two years ago, the first ever by a band from Nevada. Dartmouth High School will also join in their first-ever appearance and as the first Massachusetts band to participate in over 20 years.
This year’s Grand Nationals is gearing up to be one of the most competitive ever. As mentioned earlier, 19 unique bands made finals at either the 2021 or 2022 Grand Nationals; of those 19 bands, eight will be returning for 2023: Avon (IN), Blue Springs (MO), Brownsburg (IN), Carmel (IN), Claudia Taylor Johnson (TX), Fishers (IN), The Woodlands (TX), and William Mason (OH). This leaves at least four “new” spots in finals up for grabs, which could be taken by bands that haven’t been in finals since at least 2019 (or perhaps for the first time).
The 2023 Bands of America season looks to be quite the spectacle. Between a record number of events, a record number of competing bands, and a stacked Grand Nationals, this season will be one to remember. We hope you’re just as excited for the next two months of competition as we are to cover it!
“bandScores” is a current staff writer and stats guru for General Effect Media. He has been involved in the marching arts activity for nearly two decades. bandscores.net is a passion project with the mission of being the primary source of statistical information for the marching arts community. You can follow more of bandScores’ work at @bandscores on Instagram.