Florida Blue's 'Battle of the Bands' returns to Amway Center

ORLANDO, Fla. – - The showmanship, precision, and melodic tunes are back at the Amway Center for the annual Florida Blue Battle of the Bands.  

"To be back live together again is going to be a celebration," Steve Hogan said. 

Bethune Cookman's "Marching Wildcats" and Florida A&M's "Marching 100" take center stage Friday night. Several high schools bands also get to participate, including Ocoee and Evans high schools. 

"Out of the 20 to 22 schools in the county, a lot of them do the corp style marching. So tonight, we get the opportunity to see more schools that look like us, that do the same style of show," Evans band director Mario Ford said.

This event draws tens of thousands of people to the Florida Classic each year. But this portion of the event didn't happen in 2020 because of the pandemic.

 Now it's back in person, and the Evans band is ready to savor the spotlight as it caps off its fall band season. 

"We finished the football season. Now, this is the show that’s just about band," Ford said. 

Battle of the Bands may be the highlight of the weekend for music lovers, but it's the family reunion feeling that makes the Florida Blue Florida Classic so special. 

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