BREAKING: Every Year UIL State Marching to be Implemented in 2023

Dates and Locations Finalized for the Largest State Marching Competition in the Nation

Today, the University Interscholastic League published the dates for the 2023 2A/4A/6A State Marching Contest, a competition that was previously held every other year. Taking place a week before the regularly scheduled 1A/3A/5A State Marching Contest, the 2A/4A/6A Contest will be held in the Alamodome from Oct. 30 - Nov. 1. With the exception of the 2021 season, as an exception was made due to the impacts of COVID-19 on the 2020 competition, this will be the first time that every class will compete at State since 1990.

Classes have been performing every other year since then, with the impetus for the original switch due to concerns about overcompetitiveness. "It was getting to the point that the most important thing to a band was getting to the state marching contest, not what the students are learning individually," Richard Floyd, then-UIL Music Director, told the Houston Chronicle.

Many have called for the return of Every Year State since then, and 2021 provided not only a testbed for that but also an opportunity to institute new sheets for the largest classes that were well received.

In October, GEM covered the vote from the UIL Legislative Session that paved the way for the competition to return to the Every Year format, however, due to stadium availability, it was unsure whether it would be implemented in 2023 or 2024. With the UIL being able to secure the Alamodome for the 2023 season, this is earlier than many anticipated.