Marching Band General Information

 
State Marching Band Championship Manager:
Dr. John Stroube -- (859) 626-5635 -- john@kmea.org
 
Participation Information:
Bands that receive a Proficient Rating at KMEA Sanctioned local contests are eligible to compete in the Regional Quarterfinals of the State Contest on Saturday, October 25th. The top eight bands from each Regional Quarterfinals site will go on to State Semifinals on November 1st. Semifinals are held at five separate sites during a time window of 10:00 am to 3:30 pm. Four Finalist bands are chosen from each classification. Finals begin at 6:00 pm at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on the University of Louisville campus. Seating (see Seating below).
2008 Regional Quarterfinal Draw Order
Regional Quarterfinals tickets: $10.00, available onsite, only.

Hotel Accomodations:

Hotels offering SMBC rates with distances to each site location can be found by clicking on the link below. Information about the Kentucky hotels was provided by the Louisville Convention and VIsitors Bureau.
Louisville Hotel Accomodations
Ticket Sales: (see above for Regional Quarterfinals tickets)

Tickets are available for purchase in advance from September 22 - October 20 or on site the day of the event. To purchase tickets in advance please call 859-626-5635.

  • General admission tickets to Semifinals are $10.00
  • All Finals tickets are Reserved Seating
  • Regular Reserved Seats are $12.00.
  • Premium Reserved Seats are $20.00
  • Finals tickets, unless bought in advance, will be available at Papa John's Stadium only (see below)
  • Gates open one hour prior to the first band's performance.

Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Seating Chart
Semi-Final and Finals Ticket Order Form

Finals tickets will be for sale at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium starting at 10:00 am Saturday

  • Tickets at the site are available for cash only
  • On the day of the event they will be on sale at Gate 7 (west side)
  • On the evening of the event they will be available at Gate 4 (south end) and Gate 7 (west side)
    • The Gate 4 booth will contain the tickets for seats that are south of the 50
    • The Gate 7 booth will contain tickets for seats that are north of the 50
  • Will-call, for pre-orders that came in within the last couple of weeks, will also be at the Gate 7 booth
  • Signage will direct people to the booth and ticket window containing the tickets of their choice
Parking:
Papa John's Cardinal Stadium charges $10.00 per car for the lots closest to the stadium, and $5.00 per car for the lots south of Central Avenue. A pass will be given to cars leaving prelims to admit them to finals at no additional charge. Signage on Floyd Street will direct drivers to their lot of choice. Spectator buses, such as bands that are not in finals, will enter and park (no charge) at the far south end of the property. See aerial view. A pass will be given to cars leaving prelims to admit them to finals at no additional charge.
Video:

An area at each Semifinals site is reserved for individuals to tape their respective bands. Neither videographers nor their equipment are allowed on the field level. Videographers are not admitted free, but may purchase a ticket or may use one of their band’s Chaperone Passes. NO VIDEO RECORDING IS ALLOWED AT THE FINALS EVENT. Box 5 Productions will produce a video of the Finals that will be offered for sale. (Highlights of the finals will appear on KET later in the year, but the full performances of all the Finals bands will be available ONLY on the for-sale DVDs.)

Concessions:
This service is provided by the Band Boosters at the Semifinals host schools and is the one means through which we can reward them for the “extra mile” effort they are putting forth to host our State Contest. Please patronize the Concession stands. Contact Host director to arrange for group meals.
Admission/Passes:
Performing Band Members are admitted free and will have their hand stamped for readmission purposes. One chaperone per 10 performers, Band Bus and Truck Drivers, and Band Directors receive passes or badges. Please note: All Band Staff must be listed on the Application Form in order to receive a badge for admission. No further passes will be available on the day of the event. Equipment handlers will be admitted to the performance area only and during your performance time only. In order to enter the audience area they will need to purchase tickets.
Seating:
General admission tickets to Semifinals are $10.00. All Finals tickets are Reserved Seating. Regular Reserved Seats are $12.00. Premium Reserved Seats are $20.00. Finals tickets, unless bought in advance, will be available at Papa John's Stadium only. Gates open one hour prior to the first band's performance. Click on the link for the Papa John's Stadium seating chart.
Equipment Shuttle:
All Sites have a paved track in the stadium. Host sites are not required to transport equipment from the designated Staging Area to the front sideline. Shuttles WIll NOT BE AVAILABLE AT REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS, SEMI-FINALS, AND FINALS SITES.
Field markings:

Semifinals:Standard High School markings as per KMEA rules. (hashes 53’4”)
Finals: Collegiate (NCAA) markings (hashes 60’ from sidelines) with High School hash marks (53’4”) marked also.