The Cavalcade of Bands is one of many competitive band organizations in the United States and is one of several major circuits in the mid-Atlantic states (other circuits include Tournament of Bands and USBands). Cavalcade was founded in the late 1958 by the members of the Mid-Atlantic Judges Association (MAJA) and its member high schools. The organization currently has 150 member bands. It provides competitive performance opportunities for marching bands and jazz ensembles. Cavalcade sanctions approximately 50 field band events as well as about 25 jazz ensemble events annually.

From 1971 to 2020, Cavalcade sanctioned color guard, percussion ensemble, and dance team competitions via the Cavalcade Indoor Drill Association (CIDA), later the Cavalcade Indoor Association (CIA).

Marching band The first Cavalcade of Bands Championships were hosted in 1970 at the Farm Show Arena in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Prior to 1970, members would designate a competition in October or November as the de facto championship event, but not all member bands would attend. Champions from 1959 to 1969 were included in lists of Open Class Champions after 1970.

From September to mid-November, Cavalcade sanctions as many as 50 high school marching band competitions throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Bands are aligned into four to five divisions, frequently called classes, based on the number of performing members in each band: DivisionMembersIndependenceUp to 35 membersAmerican35–50 membersLiberty51–70 membersYankee71–95 membersPatriotMore than 95 members During championships, member bands are sorted into two broad classes, Open or A Class, based on each band's performance history during the season. Each broad class is then further divided based on number of members. A Class was created in 1996 for bands "new to the competitive arena, limited access to the resources, or are in a growing/rebuilding phase of their program."

On January 1, 2019, the Cavalcade of Bands Honor Band performed in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. The band included over 100 students from 20 high schools in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Indoor activities Cavalcade of Bands has discontinued indoor activities (winter guard, dance, percussion ensemble and indoor marching bands) in 2019. Prior to the COB's reorganization the early 2000s, the indoor season was organized by the independent Cavalcade Indoor Drill Association (CIDA), later known as Cavalcade Indoor (CIA).

Past champions Open Class (1959–present) Year———Yankee—1959 rowspan="11" rowspan="11" rowspan="11" Boyertown rowspan="11" 1960Wilson Boro 1961Lebanon1962Wilson Boro 1963Boyertown 1964Boyertown 1965Wilson 1966Wilson 1967Wilson 1968Wilson 1969Wilson Year—American—Yankee—1970 rowspan="3" Salisbury rowspan="3" Wilson rowspan="3" 1971Plymouth Whitemarsh Wilson 1972Salisbury Wilson YearIndependenceAmerican—Yankee—1973DanvilleEast Pennsboro rowspan="5" Wilson rowspan="5" 1974Phoenixville CB WestPlymouth Whitemarsh 1975HanoverHatboro Horsham Plymouth Whitemarsh 1976Phoenixville Shikellamy Abington1977ELCOShikellamy Plymouth Whitemarsh YearIndependenceAmericanLibertyYankee—1978Upper MerionHanover Warwick Plymouth Whitemarsh rowspan="18" 1979South WesternUpper DublinShikellamyWilliamsport AreaPlymouth Whitemarsh 1980EphrataManheim TownshipCumberland ValleyNorth Penn 1981DowningtownWissahickon Northern LebanonNorth Penn 1982Phoenixville Archbishop RyanManhiem Township North Penn 1983Upper Dublin Hanover Upper Moreland Archbishop Ryan1984Upper Dublin Lake Lehman Manheim Township North Penn 1985Conrad WeiserAbingtonDowningtownShikellamy 1986Upper Dublin Wissahickon Upper Moreland North Penn 1987Upper Dublin Lake Lehman Upper Moreland North Penn 1988Upper Dublin Hatboro Horsham Spring GroveNorth Penn 1989Upper Dublin Upper Moreland Manheim Township North Penn 1990Archbishop Wood Spring Grove Hatboro Horsham North Penn 1991Archbishop Wood Penn Manor Manheim Township Shikellamy 1992Upper Dublin South Western Manheim Township North Penn 1993Upper Dublin Penn Manor Hatboro Horsham North Penn 1994Upper Dublin South Western Manheim Township North Penn 1995Upper Dublin ReadingManheim Township DowningtonYearIndependenceAmerican—Yankee—1996MethactonHatboro Horsham rowspan="7" North Penn rowspan="7" 1997Lancaster CatholicUpper Moreland Hatboro Horsham1998Plymouth WhitemarshPenn Manor Lampeter Strasburg 1999Upper Dublin Spring Grove Lampeter Strasburg 2000Bishop McDevitt Lancaster CatholicSouth Western 2001LebanonSouth Western Manheim Township 2002Bishop McDevitt Phoenixville Manheim Township YearIndependenceAmericanLibertyYankee—2003LakewoodPhoenixville Hatboro Horsham Reading rowspan="11" 2004Cinnaminson Phoenixville Burlington CitySpring Grove2005Greencastle-AntrimKingsway RegionalOakcrestSouth Western 2006Penns GroveHatboro Horsham Warwick South Western 2007HendersonSusquehannock Warwick Manheim Township 2008Pittston Hatboro Horsham Warwick Spring-Ford 2009Pittston Hatboro Horsham New Oxford Spring-Ford 2010Pittston Greencastle-AntrimSouthern Regional Spring-Ford 2011Pittston HaverfordSouthern Regional Upper Darby 2012E. Stroudsburg North Susquehanna TownshipHatboro Horsham Upper Darby 2013E. Stroudsburg North Plymouth Whitemarsh Hatboro Horsham Spring-Ford YearIndependenceAmericanLibertyYankeePatriot2014Pittston East PennsboroNew Oxford Marple Newtown Spring-Ford 2015Blue MountainSun Valley Hatboro Horsham Marple Newtown Upper Moreland 2016LittlestownSun Valley Susquehannock Marple Newtown Spring-Ford 2017E. Stroudsburg North Whitehall Susquehannock Hempfield Spring-Ford 2018Cinnaminson Whitehall Susquehannock Hempfield Spring-Ford 2019Cinnaminson Whitehall Camp HillHempfield Nazareth Area 2020 colspan="5" 2021WhitehallSusquehannock PhoenixvilleNazareth Area Spring-Ford 2022Haddon HeightsWilliamsport Area Susquehannock WarwickNazareth Area 2023BiglervilleSun Valley Susquehannock Nazareth Area Upper Moreland 2024Donegal Williamsport Area Susquehannock Nazareth Area Hempfield2025Donegal PottsgroveSusquehannock Nazareth Area

A Class (1996–present) YearIndependenceAmerican—Yankee—1996 rowspan="4" South Western rowspan="7" rowspan="7" 1997West Chester EASTYork Suburban Hempfield 1998 rowspan="3" Hempfield 1999York Suburban 2000Lebanon Catholic rowspan="2" 2001PhoenixvilleConestoga Valley2002Lebanon Catholic Burlington CityMarple NewtownYearIndependenceAmericanLibertyYankee—2003PitmanOakcrestWest Chester EASTSouth Western rowspan="11" 2004Upper DauphinWissahickonCoatesvilleOJ Roberts 2005ChiChesterLenapeBurlington CityBoyertown2006PottsgroveAnnville CleonaConestoga ValleyHempfield 2007Bermudian Springs William PennArchbishop WoodCoatesville 2008Upper PerkiomenBlue Mountain UnionvilleRed Lion 2009Bermudian Springs PhoenixvilleYork SuburbanOJ Roberts 2010CrestwoodBlue Mountain Manheim CentralCheltenham2011Archbishop WoodRustinRed LionWilson2012Bermudian Springs Pottsgrove South Western Avon Grove2013Northern LebanonBlue Mountain South Western Downingtown WestYearIndependenceAmericanLibertyYankeePatriot2014Sissonville Great ValleySouth Western Upper DublinRed Lion 2015Sissonville Northampton Daniel BooneKennettDowningtown West2016Cumberland RegionalPalisades Northampton CheltenhamUpper Darby Manheim Central2017Palisades Loyalsock Township Great ValleyCoatesville Downingtown East2018DieruffShikellamyNorthern YorkUpper Darby Cumberland Valley2019York Catholic Loyalsock Township Washington TownshipRed Lion Neshaminy2020 colspan="5" 2021ShikellamyYork Catholic South Western Upper MorelandRed Lion Cedar Crest 2022BiglervilleHazleton AreaEastern YorkPennridgeCedar Crest 2023DonegalPottsgrove Greencastle-AntrimSouth Western Red Lion 2024Plymouth WhitemarshShamokin AreaBloomsburgCumberland Valley rowspan="2" 2025Hatboro-HorshamJersey ShoreBig SpringCumberland Valley

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