The EHS Marching Tigers have been taking home award after award this season, being named Grand Champions of the Metro East Marching Classic on Sept. 7 and winning the Greater St. Louis Marching competition on Sept. 28.
The Tigers won first place in the categories of Best Music, Best Visual Performance and Best General Effect at the MEMC, making this the second year in a row they have been named Grand Champions at this event.
But the payoff for their hard work doesn’t stop there. On Wednesday, the Tigers received the news that they had been invited to perform in London at next year’s New Year’s Day parade, an honor given to only the best high school and collegiate level bands in the U.S.
“It’s a really huge thing,” junior drum major Savannah Jackson said. “They’ve got millions of people watching [on TV] and thousands of people watching on the parade route, which is really exciting.”
After reaching out to band directors of other schools who had received this invitation and getting permission from the district, band director Ryan Lipscomb said the application process was straightforward.
“[The directors of the parade] gave me a call one day and we talked through everything,” Lipscomb said. “They asked for some videos of the band, then a day or two after they said ‘Okay, we’re ready to invite you to come do this.’”
The Tigers will be spending a total of seven days in London, leaving Dec. 27, 2025, and returning Jan. 3, 2026.
Aside from performing during the parade, the Tigers will be getting a tour of London’s museums and landmarks, which include the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and the Thames River.
“There’s an opportunity for us to split in some of the afternoons,” Lipscomb said. “We’ll have chaperones grouped together, so if there’s a group that wants to go to the British Museum then they’ll go to the British Museum, if someone wants to go to the art galleries we’ll take them to the art galleries.”
Although the Tigers are familiar with trips and high-profile events, a performance of this size is daunting. The freshmen are especially unfamiliar with shows of this scale and notoriety.
“I’ve only ever been to competitions or concerts in my area,” freshman Charlie Barbee said. “The idea of being in an entirely foreign place is kind of nerve wracking.”
According to freshman Gwen Jackson, it was “surprising” and “exciting” to be selected for such an exclusive event, and she hopes to reach her goals of improving her skills and abilities before they perform.
“I’ve never traveled out of the US before, let alone traveling for band to perform for an entire parade,” Barbee said. “I’m super hopeful and excited for it.”