This holiday season, performing arts students at North Harford have many events to showcase their musical talents.

     On Saturday Dec. 2, 2023,  the marching band was in the White Marsh Holiday Parade, and on Sunday Dec. 3, 2023, they were also in the Bel Air Holiday Parade in Downtown Bel Air. 

     At the Avenue in White Marsh the parade began at 10:00am. The caboose of the parade was Santa Claus accompanied by Perry Hall’s Marching Band. After the parade, parade-goers were able to ice skate with Santa. This is the 26th parade at the Avenue at White Marsh. 

     The event in Bel Air was the 33rd Annual Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting. According to belairmd.org the parade featured “stilt walkers and acrobats, local high school marching bands, costumed characters and mascots, beauty queens, dancers, floats, musical groups,” “equestrian guests” and ending the parade was “The Living Christmas Tree and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. Events on Dec. 3 began with a  concert on Main Street at the Courthouse at 2:30. The parade then began at 3:30 and led down Main Street.

     Junior Natalie Barndt marched in both parades for the Hawks marching band. At the parade on Saturday they got to see “a bunch of bands” the Hawks “don’t usually see” and Barndt had “fun.” At the Bel Air parade, the junior also had “fun” because “as [the band] was walking around Bel Air” they could see “their friends in the crowd.” 

     Senior Kaitlyn Calland’s favorite part “of the parade was getting to walk by and see all the different people “on the side” that were “supporting the band.” According to Calland the band played, “Good King Wenceslas, Joy to the World, and Hark the Herald Angel Sing.” 

     Seeing other high school bands, according to senior James Ortt, “allows [the band] to experience the type of music they play, as well as how their style of playing as a band differs from” North Harford’s. At the White Marsh parade, Ortt added that there were “a lot of good decorations throughout the parade” and how it felt “very Christmas-like” during the parade. At the annual Bel Air event the senior expressed that it is always good to see “people from” school there “in the crowd and afterwards.” Ortt also said that the marching band students can also “see businesses and events that are local to” the Nest at the Bel Air parade.