Columbus Marching Festival to jazz up Trackside District -Downtown Columbus

The streets of downtown Columbus will come alive with music, color and pride on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025 as the 51st Annual Columbus Marching Festival takes center stage.

 This year, the parade portion is sanctioned for the first time ever by the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association (NSBA), an organization dedicated to promoting and supporting student musicians across Nebraska. The event will feature both a parade and a field competition, showcasing talented student musicians from across the state.

 “It’s really a confluence of great music, community energy and student achievement,” Columbus High School Marching Band Director Jeff Peabody said. “Columbus has always been a forerunner in marching band, and this festival is a wonderful opportunity to see all the best our schools have to offer.”

 Columbus has a rich marching band history. The high school’s band was the first from Nebraska to march in the Rose Parade in 1959, and longtime leaders like Larry Marik, former mayor and band director, helped shape the state’s marching tradition.

 “Our community has always supported bands and student musicians,” Peabody said. “Seeing teenagers participating, giving their best and sharing positivity is inspiring.”

Parade Route

This year promises to live up to that legacy with a new route through town into the heart of the Trackside District. The parade will start at the Nebraska Public Power District building and continue downtown, with judging in front of the Columbus Community Building, a picturesque setting for the event.

More than 1,500 students from 24 high school bands statewide are expected to participate throughout the day (19 in the parade and 14 in the subsequent field show), performing a variety of parade tunes before transitioning to the competitive field show later in the morning.

 “It’s literally a parade of bands. It’s band after band after band,” Peabody said.

 While the parade route is just shy of a mile – perfect for bands to perform multiple songs – there’s hope to have more bands participate in the future.

 The festival also highlights Columbus’ growth and downtown revitalization, making it a point of pride for residents and visitors. Peabody noted recent development in the Trackside District and the Vitality Village subdivision along 8th Street as big wins for the area.

 “Columbus is such an area of progress,” he enthused. “There has been so much progress made downtown and with all of the housing.”

 For this year’s parade, 14th Street will be blocked from NPPD to Duster’s at the 28th Avenue intersection, while 12th and 13th streets will remain open.

 Fans and residents are encouraged to come out, enjoy the music, and support students demonstrating discipline, teamwork, and creativity.

 “It’s a wonderful opportunity to see the best of what all these schools have to offer,” Peabody said. “You can watch teenagers being kind and supportive, doing good things in our community, and being the best they can be. I’m really optimistic it will work out.”

Schedule of Performances