On February 16, 2022, Bob Bone, co-founder and executive director of the London New Year’s Day Parade, and Sir Duncan Sandys, a patron of the event and Sir Winston Churchill’s great-grandson, visited Lake Norman High School. The purpose of their visit was to extend a formal invitation for the Marching Wildcats to participate in the 2024 New Year's Day Parade in London. 

 

After accepting the honor, the band spent the next nearly two years planning and fundraising for the trip. Finally, the group of over 300 students and families departed on December 27, 2023, for a week abroad. Along with the parade, the travelers had a packed itinerary, allowing them plenty of sight-seeing opportunities of London's famous landmarks. They returned to the US on January 3, 2024, with plenty of memories that will last a lifetime!