National Concert Band Contest canceled; National Color Guard Contests to start earlier than usual.
The National Concert Band Contest traditionally held on the Saturday of the American Legion national convention will not take place this year. It is scheduled to resume in 2026 at the 107th National Convention in Louisville, Ky.
The National Color Guard Contests will be held on the Friday of the convention as usual – in East Hall, 3rd Floor of the Tampa Convention Center on Aug. 22 – but will start at 1:30 p.m. rather than 4 p.m. The reason is a surge in participation by area JROTC units, which have been invited to take part in Legion contests since 2023. The 2025 competition will see more than 20, up from nine last year.
“We believe the JROTC program has grown so rapidly this year as it is the third year of competition and the JROTC program continues to grow throughout the country,” Chief Contests Judge Dave Priester said.
The competition will be streamed live on The American Legion’s YouTube page.
- Convention