Marshall University’s marching band, the Marching Thunder, is traveling to London, England, to perform in the 2020 New Year’s Day Parade, which attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators each year.

Both the preview show (featurGeneraling the Marching Thunder) and the live parade will be broadcast on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s statewide West Virginia Channel. The preview show will air Sunday, Dec. 29, at 8 p.m., and Monday, Dec. 30, at 3 p.m. The live parade will air on New Year’s Day from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Similar to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the London New Year’s Day Parade (LNYDP) is one of the largest of its kind. It includes marching bands from around the world as well as floats, balloons, and other entries.

The Marching Thunder was selected after a global search of marching bands following their successful international debut in Rome in 2016. In addition to the parade performance, students will enjoy several days of educational tours and sightseeing in England.

LNYDP recently announced a major deal with American Public Television (APT) allowing them exclusive territorial rights to broadcast the parade reaching an audience of many millions in the U.S.

“The London trip is an amazing opportunity for us to travel abroad and learn so much about new and different cultures,” said Griffin Aliff, freshman music composition major. “It’s also amazing that my friends and coworkers back home will be able to watch me on TV, and be proud and supportive as we march through London! This is a once in-a-lifetime experience and I am so grateful to be experiencing this with the Marching Thunder!”

“We are proud to carry the coverage of London’s New Year’s Day Parade on the West Virginia Channel because it’s a unique opportunity to showcase students from a state university doing great things,” said Eddie Isom, director of programming for West Virginia Public Broadcasting. “It’s going to be really cool to watch as Marshall University’s Marching Thunder takes to the streets of London to perform in the parade. The purpose of the West Virginia Channel is to provide great content that celebrates our state and its people and we’re happy that the Marshall University community – and all of the Mountain State – will be able to tune in to see London go Kelly green for a while.”

There will be 125 people traveling to London for the event, including the 103 members of the Marching Thunder who will perform in the parade. The group will leave Sunday, Dec. 29, and will return Sunday, Jan. 5.

“The London New Year’s Day Parade is an exciting opportunity for the Marching Thunder to perform on the world stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people in person and on TV,” said Dr. Adam Dalton, director of bands in Marshall’s School of Music. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these students to experience a new culture, see what they have read in history books and share their talent in music.”

Viewers can follow along with the Marching Thunder (@MarshallUBands) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live updates and behind-the-scenes views from the trip. The parade will also be live-streamed on the London New Year’s Day Parade site: www.lnydp.com.