NPT is adding another festive element to a sparkling lineup of holiday programming with London’s New Year’s Day Parade. The 2020 parade will include the Hendersonville High School Band of Gold along with the school’s Select Chamber Choir and will air Wednesday, Jan. 1, at 7 p.m. on NPT2, Nashville’s Public Television’s secondary broadcast channel. NPT2 is available at 8.2 over the air, Comcast 241, Charter 176, Google Fiber 75. In addition, Marching to London: London’s New Year’s Day Parade – The Journey, a companion documentary that also features the Band of Gold, will air Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. on NPT, the main channel.
“NPT is thrilled to be able to provide coverage of London’s New Year’s Parade so local students and families can see these talented young people perform,” said Kevin Crane, NPT’s president and CEO. “Also, it’s great holiday entertainment.”
Hendersonville High School’s marching band will play a number of songs in keeping with the parade theme of “London Loves Life,” according to band director Dr. Jeffrey Phillips. These include “My Favorite Things,” Respect,” “Heal the World” and – in a nod to former Hendersonville High School student Taylor Swift – “Shake It Off.”
“We’re working really hard,” Phillips said of the band. “It’s a great honor to represent Hendersonville.”
Segments of the Marching to London documentary were filmed this past September with scenes at Rock Castle and, of course, Old Hickory Lake and marina. The band was also filmed performing at the mayor’s office. Famous band parents such as Chris Golden and Diamond Rio’s Dana Williams are expected to be part of the documentary; there may also be a segment on Johnny Cash’s involvement with the band.
London’s New Year’s Day Parade was launched in 1987 and the 2020 incarnation will draw an estimated 500,000 spectators along a route of iconic London locations. The 3.5-hour parade will include floats, balloons and more than 8,000 performers from around the world. Of those performers, 20 marching bands and 1,000 cheerleaders will come from U.S. high schools and universities. Hendersonville High School’s Band of Gold will be 19th in the parade order, just behind the London Pearly Kings and Queens Society, a venerable charitable institution whose members are known for their attire covered in pearl buttons.
For more on NPT’s holiday lineup, which includes Christmas at Belmont 2019 – premiering Monday, Dec. 23, at 8 p.m. – with hosts CeCe Winans and Michael W. Smith, visit wnpt.org/holiday.