Big weekend ahead in River City; 85th Band Fest is here

In addition to the many musical performances — including high school marching bands and local musicians — the festival includes a carnival, food vendors, and a weekend full of activities. 

Running Memorial Day weekend — Thursday, May 23, through Monday, May 27 — the Mason City tradition is the unofficial kickoff to summer for everyone in North Iowa, said Colleen Frein, Mason City Chamber of Commerce CEO. 

“It’s a great opportunity that we have each year to celebrate our musical heritage, our student musicians, and also all of the great local musicians that we have here in the region,” Frein said. 

Frein said this year’s festival will offer more to attendees — more food trucks, more performances, and organizers securing a liquor license for the downtown Central Park area, allowing people to purchase beverages in downtown bars and restaurants and enjoy them with the music and other entertainment. 

“We have tried to amplify everything that we usually have going on by bringing in more local bands, more entertainment, and just kind of bringing everything up a notch,” Frein said. “Some things festivalgoers will see differently is how we’ve oriented the park downtown and the placement of our main stage. We have shifted it so that the park will feel more like a street dance.”

Things kick off Thursday afternoon with the carnival opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Additionally, the John Adams Middle School Band will provide music with a concert at 6 p.m. followed by the Mason City Municipal Band’s season-opening performance at 6:45 p.m. The Totally Tubular Downtown Crawl begins at 7 p.m.

On Friday, the carnival opens at 4 p.m. with concessions and the marketplace at 5 p.m. The music also begins at 5 p.m. with a Mason City High School Orchestra concert in Principal Pavilion, the Mason City Jazz Band at 6 p.m., and the Not Quite Brothers at 7:30 p.m., both on the downtown main stage. 

Saturday is the busiest day of the festival and includes Frein’s favorite event, the iconic Band Festival Parade. 

“By far, my favorite is the parade, very specifically, when the parade starts each year and the Mason City High School Band starts playing ‘Seventy-Six Trombones’ without fail,” Frein said. “It’s just a moment to think about the history of our community and how it can carry on and feel so alive in the moment.”

In addition to the parade, on Saturday there will be six shows on the main stage, starting at 2 p.m. with the last starting at 9 p.m. 

The Band Festival king and queen will be crowned after the parade at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. There are 17 candidates, all seniors who participate in band, from area schools waiting to see who will become this year’s royalty. 

“In addition to that, I am just really excited about all of the local bands that will be playing here this year,” Frein said. “We intentionally, on Saturday, brought in as many local musicians as we could to perform throughout the afternoon.”

On Sunday the day starts with an outdoor worship service at 9 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church followed by the marketplace opening at 11 a.m. and the carnival at noon. On Monday the carnival will be open from noon to 6 p.m.

Last year’s band festival parade had a record attendance, Frein said. She expects the weather to hold out and provide the opportunity for even more people to visit downtown this weekend. 

“The festival is family friendly entertainment for the entire community,” Frein said. 

For more information on the 85th North Iowa Band Festival and a complete schedule of events with times and locations, visit the Mason City Chamber of Commerce website. 

“You have to stop and reflect on the fact that this festival has taken place in Mason City for 85 years. Think of all those changes that have happened in our community in that time — in our country and our world,” Frein said. “Yet this festival has continued on through all of the changes and all of those significant points in history. And it’s as strong as it has ever been.”