Drums Across Cajun Field will feature some the nation’s best high school and college musicians from 10 drum and bugle corps.

The event, in its eighth year, will be held at 7 p.m. on July 21 at Cajun Field. UL's Pride of Acadiana Marching Band will host it.
The Louisiana Stars Drum and Bugle Corps will participate. The ensemble, which is based in Lafayette, features Pride of Acadiana members.

Drums Across Cajun Field performances are part of the summer tour organized by Drum Corps International, a non-profit organization based in Indianapolis, Ind. Dr. Eric Melley, director of the Pride of Acadiana Marching Band, said Drum Corps International is referred to as “Marching Music’s Major League.”

“The music is first rate,” he said. “Every corps has its own style.

The Louisiana Stars’ is traditional. Some have more modern styles.” The event is the biggest fundraiser of the year for The Pride of Acadiana.

The University’s band, which was originally called the Southwestern Band, became the Pride of Acadiana Marching Band in the 1960s. It has marched twice in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. An estimated 3.5 million spectators attend the parade each year, while more than 50 million more view it on television. The band also has performed in Scotland, England and Spain.

The Pride of Acadiana performs at all UL home football games. It also has performed at special events in Louisiana, such as a gubernatorial inauguration and New Orleans Saints' halftime shows.

Tickets are $25 if bought before the show or $27 the day of the event. Tickets purchased for groups of 20 or more cost $18 per person.

Tickets, which are general admission, are available through Ticketmaster or the Cajundome Box Office. Learn more about the Pride of Acadiana Marching Band, Louisiana Stars and Drum Corps International. -

Louisiana.edu