The Indiana State Fair Band Day is a marching band competition held at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis every August. The contest serves as the championship for the Central Indiana Track Show Association, an organization that governs high school track show marching band contests in Indiana each summer.
First held in 1947, it is one of, if not the oldest, high school marching band contest in the United States. The 77th Indiana State Fair Band Day competition was held on 2 August 2024.
Contest format
Indiana high school marching bands participate in the Indiana State Fair Band Day every year. Bands are categorized into three classes—Class AAA, Class AA, and Class A—based on band size. Each band is allowed up to six minutes to perform, two minutes for entry and one minute to exit the performance area. Preliminary competition takes place in the morning, with awards for first through third place in each class, along with caption awards for best music, visuals, auxiliary (guard), and percussion. The 16 top scoring bands, regardless of class, compete in the finals competition that night.
Results Year Champion Runner up 2025 Anderson High School Muncie Central High School 2024 Muncie Central High School Anderson High School 2023 Kokomo High School Muncie Central High School2022Kokomo High SchoolWinchester Community High School2021Muncie Central High SchoolCenterville Senior High School2020No Contest (Covid)No Contest (Covid)2019Anderson High SchoolKokomo High School2018Noblesville High SchoolAnderson High School2017Noblesville High SchoolWinchester Community2016Winchester CommunityKokomo High School
See the full history of Band Day Results dating back to 1947 on the CITSA website: Band Day Hall of Champions
Records
Record School Number Year(s) Most Championships Anderson 8 1957, 1958, 1959, 1985, 1986, 2010, 2019, 2025 Most Consecutive Championships Franklin Central 4 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 Highest Finals Score Kokomo 96.300 2022 Highest Runner Up Score Winchester Community 93.950 2022 Most Band Day Appearances Anderson 69 (all consecutive) 1955-2025 Most Finals Appearances Richmond 55 1967-1983, 1985-1994, 1996, 1998-2019, 2021-2025 Largest Margin of Victory Muncie Southside over Anderson Highland 8.25 2004 Smallest Margin of Victory Winchester Community over Richmond 0.05 2011 Most Class Victories Centerville Blue Regiment 13 2012-2025 Most Years Between Championships Noblesville 65 years 1952 and 2017 Most Wins by Director Douglas Fletcher 13 1989, 1990, 1991, 1997, 2005-07, 2009-13, 2015-16
Prize money
1st Place $3700 2nd Place $3200 3rd Place $2700 4th Place $2400 5th Place $2100 6th Place $1700 7th Place $1600 8th Place $1500 9th Place $1400 10th Place $1300 11th-16th Place $1100 17th-25th Place $850 26th-30th Place $600 31st-49th Place $500
References
Indiana State Fair 2017