Mt. Carmel High to host 48th annual Tournament of Bands on Saturday

Around 1,600 musicians and color guard members from throughout Southern California, including those in all five high school bands in Poway Unified, will be performing Saturday at the 48th annual Mt. Carmel Tournament of Bands.

The all-day Oct. 25 tournament in Rancho Peñasquitos is San Diego County’s largest high school marching band competition and one of Southern California’s largest and oldest high school band competitions, according to organizers. Nearly 40 bands and color guards have entered.

The event will have two components. The parade band review is the only competition in San Diego County to include this, which makes the tournament “a unique and highly anticipated showcase,” according to organizers. There will also be a field show competition. Some bands have entered just one, while others will do both.

It is free to watch the parade band review, but tickets are required to enter Sundevil Stadium to watch the field shows.

The morning field show competition will feature the 1A, 2A and 3A bands. Among local schools competing in the morning will be Ramona High School.

As of Oct. 17, the schedule — subject to change — has Christian High School as the first band marching onto the field for an 8 a.m. performance. Joining it in the 1A contest will be Citrus Hill and Sweetwater. They will be followed with the 2A contest starting at 8:45 a.m. with Hilltop, Hoover, Canyon Hills, University City, Santa Ana, Patrick Henry and Ramona high schools. Ramona is the last 2A band, set to take the field at 10:30 a.m.

The 3A bands are Murrieta Valley at 10:45 a.m. followed by El Camino.

A break will be held in the field show competition to let the parade review begin along Mt. Carmel’s parking lot main driveway.

The parade will open with an exhibition performance by Mt. Carmel’s Marching Sundevils at 11:45 a.m. Following in five-minute increments will be Santiago junior varsity, Citrus Hill, Hilltop, Pomona, Sonora, Garey, Arcadia junior varsity, Bonita Vista, Eastlake Orange Vista, Lakeside, Olympian, Santiago and Arcadia.

Last to perform in the parade will be the U.S. Marine Corps band in an exhibition presentation set for 1 p.m.

Following the parade, the field show awards for Class 1A-3A will begin at 2 p.m. followed by the Class 1A-6A parade awards ceremony at 2:40 p.m.

The field show contest will resume at 3 p.m. when Bonita Vista High School performs in the Class 4A contest, followed by Vista, Eastlake, Orange Vista and San Jacinto high schools.

The Class 5A field show contest will open with Lakeside High School at 4:30 p.m. followed by Olympian, Fallbrook, Poway High’s Emerald Brigade (at 5:15 p.m.) and Rancho Buena Vista.

Following a dinner break, the 6A show will commence with Del Norte High Nighthawks taking to the field at 6:30 p.m. Next up will be Westview Gold at 6:45 p.m. followed by Mira Mesa, Etiwanda and Arcadia. The last to compete will be the Rancho Bernardo High Royal Regiment at 7:45 p.m.

The field show competition will conclude with two exhibition performances. They will be Mt. Carmel’s Marching Sundevils at 8 p.m. and San Diego State University’s Marching Aztecs at 8:15 p.m.

The event will conclude with the evening awards field show ceremony for Class 4A-6A at 9:30 p.m.

Tickets to the field shows — good all day — can be purchased at the stadium’s ticket window on Saturday or in advance at mchsmusic.org/tournament. General admission is $20 for adults; $15 for students, seniors (65-plus) and military; and free for children 5 and under. Reserved seating in the stadium’s home side center section is $35. The tickets also give access to the awards presentations.

Food, beverage and merchandise concessions will be available on-site throughout the tournament.

This event is Mt. Carmel’s largest fundraiser for its instrumental music program, which includes the band, color guard and orchestra.

Mt. Carmel High School is at 9550 Carmel Mountain Road in Rancho Peñasquitos. The school’s parking lot will not be available for public parking, so spectators are advised to park in the neighborhoods surrounding the campus.