Daily Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival, Annual marching band competition in Charleston, United States
The Daily Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival is an annual marching band and majorette competition held at University of Charleston Stadium in Charleston, West Virginia. Eight public high schools perform one after another, combining marching formations, live music, and majorette routines in a single evening program.
The festival was founded in 1947 and was the first high school majorette festival in West Virginia. It has run every year since then, making it the longest-running music festival in the state.
Each year, students from eight public high schools compete for the Miss Kanawha Majorette title and Grand Champion honors. These awards carry real weight in local school communities, where marching band and majorette programs are a central part of school life.
The event takes place in an outdoor stadium on the University of Charleston campus, so dressing for cooler fall evenings is a good idea. Checking the running order in advance helps you plan around the schools you want to see.
Before the awards ceremony, a university marching band from either West Virginia University or Marshall University takes the field as a guest performer. Seeing a college-level band alongside the high school groups gives the audience a clear sense of how far students can go in this tradition.
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