North Royalton Festival of Bands fills stadium with music

Submitted by North Royalton City Schools

Marching bands from across the area took the field at Serpentini Chevrolet Stadium Sept. 12 for the 2026 North Royalton Festival of Bands, an annual event hosted by the NRHS Marching Band.

More than 1,600 band members performed for a large crowd of families, community members and fellow musicians, with each band presenting selections from its 2026 marching season.

In addition to NRHS, the 12 additional participating schools included: Bay High School, Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School, Berea-Midpark High School, Wadsworth High School, Rocky River High School, Strongsville High School, Bedford High School, Ontario High School, Padua Franciscan High School, Elyria Catholic High School, Keystone High School and Independence High School.

The evening culminated with one of the festival’s most anticipated traditions as the participating musicians came together for a combined performance of “America the Beautiful.” With hundreds of student musicians performing at the same time, the piece filled the stadium and drew an enthusiastic response from the crowd.

“Our Festival of Bands is a special opportunity for our students to perform alongside other musicians from a variety of different schools. Each band’s style and show is unique and it is a great night for every band to perform for a packed stadium with a positive and supportive crowd,” said NRHS Director of Bands David Vitale. “There is a tremendous amount of time, effort and preparation behind what people see on the field, from both students and staff alike. And of course the grand finale of performing, ‘America the Beautiful’ with all bands combined together, is an exciting way to end the evening.”

The festival also required the efforts of more than 100 volunteers and members of the North Royalton Band Boosters, who welcomed visiting bands and their families and assisted with concessions and other aspects of the event.

Photo caption: The NRHS Marching Band takes the field during the school’s Sept. 12 Festival of Bands. Photo submitted.