Welcome
The Nebraska State Bandmasters Association, Kearney Band Parents Association, and the Kearney High School Bands welcome you all for this year’s State Marching Festival! The City of Kearney is a great community with plenty of opportunities to help you enjoy your time with us.
Quick Links
Travel Information
Kearney High School is located at 2702 W. 11th St., Kearney, NE 68845. When traveling:
From the north or south:
Use 2nd Avenue/Hwy 44/Hwy 10 to 11th Street. Turn west, and travel beyond Kearney Regional Hospital.
From the east or west:
- On I-80: Take exit 272 on to 2nd Ave/Hwy 44/Hwy 10. Turn north, traveling to 11th Street. Turn west, and travel beyond Kearney Regional Hospital.
- On Highway 30: Travel to 30th Avenue (west edge of town), and turn south and continue over the bridge.
Spectators
Parking
Spectator parking will be available in the northeast parking lot, with entry off of 27th Avenue. Accessible parking is available in the lot. Access to Bearcat Boulevard will be restricted, and curb areas of 27th Avenue will be marked as no-parking. Overflow parking is available at Central Community College, Brookestone Gardens, and the Buckle Distribution Center.
A shuttle bus will be running from 4:30-10pm from the overflow parking to the West KHS entrance.
Additional details can be found on our arrival information sheet.
Stadium & Tickets
Stadium access will be available by entering the main doors under the big blue K. The 2025 suggested donation will be:
- Adults: $11.63
- Students: $8.48
Pre-event ticket sales are now available through the NSBA. For more information or to order your tickets visit the SimpleTix website (all transactions are subject to a processing fee).
Only credit and debit cards are accepted for both admission purchases. Cash and cards will be accepted for concessions, and an ATM is on site for your convenience if needed.
The event will be broadcast onto the displays in the common area inside the building.
We ask that if you arrive during a band’s performance that you wait until a band is done performing before finding a seat. This will show respect to the performing band and allow others to fully enjoy the performance.
Concessions
The Common Ground coffee truck will also be on site during the afternoon (1 p.m. to 6 p.m.). They will have handcrafted espresso drinks, Americanos, lattes, chai tea, hot chocolate, smoothies, and lemonades.
Pit Crew Olympics
The Kearney NSBA Marching Festival is the only festival in the state that includes an opportunity for the band volunteers to get into the action. At the conclusion of each session (5:45 p.m. 1A/2A; 9:00 p.m. 3A/4A/5A), teams of five will complete in a timed obstacle course designed to showcase the skills developed over the course of this marching season.
Each school may form as many teams as they desire, but team members may not participate on multiple teams. Be prepared to carry, push, setup, stack, and run to match the best time.
Previous Pit Crew Olympics Champions
| Year | 1A / 2A | 3A / 4A / 5A |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Minden | Columbus |
| 2023 | Ogallala | Columbus |
| 2022 | Wayne | Hastings |
| 2021 | — | Kearney Color Guard Dads |
| 2019 | — | Kearney |
| 2018 | — | Hastings |
Bands
Bus and Equipment Trailers
Please enter the bus parking area through the northwest entrance of the west lot, after turning on 30th Avenue. Specific locations and directions will be provided by the transportation staff.
Equipment trailers will be directed down 27th Avenue to the drop-off area at the front of the school (2025 only due to construction), and will be directed to their unloading zones by transportation staff.
Details outlining specific parking locations and traffic flow before, leading up to, and after your performance can be found in the Directions for Parking and Pit Area PDF.
Performance Schedule
| Performance Time | School |
|---|---|
| 1:30 p.m. | Kearney Catholic |
| 1:45 p.m. | David City |
| 2:00 p.m. | Hershey |
| 2:15 p.m. | McCook |
| 2:30 p.m. | Cozad |
| 2:45 p.m. | Session Break |
| 3:00 p.m. | Ogallala |
| 3:15 p.m. | Adams Central |
| 3:30 p .m. | Holdrege |
| 3:45 p.m. | Aurora |
| 4:00 p.m. | Mindon |
| 4:15 p.m. | Session Break |
| 4:30 p.m. | Wayne |
| 4:45 p.m. | York |
| 5:00 p.m. | Lakeview |
| 5:15 p.m. | Pierce |
| 5:30 p.m. | UNK Exhibition |
| 5:45 p.m. | Pit Crew Olympics 1A/2A |
| 6:00 p.m. | 1A/2A Awards |
| 6:15 p.m. | Dinner Break |
| 6:30 p.m. | Grand Island Northwest |
| 6:45 p.m. | Lexington |
| 7:00 p.m. | Hastings |
| 7:15 p.m. | Omaha Bryan |
| 7:30 p.m. | Session Break |
| 7:45 p.m. | Fremont |
| 8:00 p.m. | North Platte |
| 8:15 p.m. | Columbus |
| 8:30 p.m. | Kearney |
| 8:45 p.m. | UNK Exhibition |
| 9:00 p.m. | Pit Crew Olympics 3A/4A |
| 9:15 p.m. | 3A/4A Awards |
Contact Information
Please contact us to let us know if we can help in any way:
We really hope you enjoy your stay!
