Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, Drum Corps International made major headlines with the annual November release of its Summer Tour schedule.
That being said, a loaded summer slate with more than 75 events over the course of six weeks is rife with intriguing storylines; it’s easy for some to get lost in the shuffle.
Here are five things you may have missed on the 2026 DCI Tour map:
1. Headed west
A major announcement prior to the release of the 2026 DCI Tour Schedule, Bluecoats will grace the lineups of six California events. The corps’ first California trip since 2009 kicks off July 2 in Oxnard.
Statistically speaking, it’s interesting to note that 13 of the last 15 DCI champions have appeared in the Golden State at some point on their individual roads to a gold medal. However, Bluecoats’ gold medal seasons — 2016 and 2024 — are the two exceptions.
But Bluecoats aren’t the only ones heading further west than usual. Phantom Regiment will appear at the season’s first World Class competitive event, June 27 in Fort Collins, Colorado. Regiment last performed in Denver in 2012. The next day, they’ll compete in Ogden, Utah, before returning to familiar midwestern confines.
2. Tracking 2025’s leaders
Last summer, by the time August rolled around, the World Class competitive landscape featured a two-corps race to the finish line. And it came right down to the end, as Boston Crusaders edged out Bluecoats by less than two tenths of a point to take home their first-ever crown.
With Bluecoats’ planned visit to California — like Boston Crusaders’ last season — it’ll be a little while before the two meet up in 2026. That first faceoff will take place July 16 in Denton, Texas, with Lone Star State meetings immediately to follow the next two days in Houston and San Antonio.
In total, the two corps will meet on two other occasions prior to the 2026 DCI World Championships.
In Open Class competition, Gold and The Battalion — two corps who earned medals in close competition last season — won’t see each other until late July, with their first meeting set for July 22 in Evansville, Indiana. As for the All-Age top three from last season — Reading Buccaneers, Hawthorne Caballeros and Bushwackers — they’ll see each other all at once on three Saturdays prior to competing in Indianapolis.
3. Spartans’ World tour
2026 is Spartans’ first season as a full-time World Class participant, and as such, the corps’ tour is historically extensive.
Spartans will perform at 14 DCI Tour events in 10 states prior to the DCI World Championships. Last season, as a hybrid World/Open Class corps, Spartans’ “regular season” schedule featured 10 events in eight states.
The biggest difference this season is a trip to Texas. Spartans will participate in three Texas events, including the annual World Class “all-skate” competition at the DCI Southwestern Championship in San Antonio.
4. On the road to the Open Class Finals
Prior to moving to the World Class ranks, Spartans won three consecutive Open Class gold medals. The Nashua, New Hampshire corps is one of three to win an Open Class title in the past decade.
One of the other two — and the only other to ever earn an Open Class “threepeat,” Blue Devils B — will return to World Championship competition this summer.
The corps’ tour starts with five events in the Golden State, and picks back up with World Championship events in August.
Blue Devils B won’t be the only unique face at this year’s Open Class finale; Heat Wave will make its first competitive championship event since 2019, while Memphis Blues is set to make an inaugural appearance.
Speaking of Open Class World Championship events, drum corps fans may have noticed the two-day series on August 3 & 4 listed without a location. The events, held in Marion, Indiana, in each of the past five seasons, will take place at a new midwest location this summer, to be announced in the near future.
5. Anchors aweigh
One of the larger venues on the DCI Tour map, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland — a frequently-visited stop that didn’t host drum corps in 2024 or 2025 — returns to the schedule for 2026.
DCI Annapolis, set for July 28, will feature five World Class corps and one Open Class corps in a 34,000-seat stadium.
Tickets now on sale
Tickets to events in three different cities are currently available for purchase, including San Antonio (July 18), Allentown (July 31 & August 1), all Indianapolis DCI World Championship events (August 6-8).
Of note — like last season, both Friday events at the DCI World Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium will be included with one ticket. In 2026, the morning’s All-Age Prelims will offer general admission seating at street level only, while the DCI World Championship Semifinals will feature reserved seating.
Buy tickets today to any of the following 2026 DCI Tour events:
DCI Southwestern Championship presented by Fred J. Miller, Inc.
San Antonio, TX | Alamodome | Saturday, July 18
Buy Tickets
DCI Eastern Classic presented by Yokohoma Tire (Day 1)
Allentown, PA | J. Birney Crum Stadium | Friday, July 31
Buy Tickets
DCI Eastern Classic presented by Yokohoma Tire (Day 2)
Allentown, PA | J. Birney Crum Stadium | Saturday, Aug. 1
Buy Tickets
DCI World Championship Prelims
Indianapolis, IN | Lucas Oil Stadium | Thursday, Aug. 6
Buy Tickets
DCI World Championship Semifinals &
DCI All-Age World Championshp Prelims
Indianapolis, IN | Lucas Oil Stadium | Friday, Aug. 7
Buy Tickets
DCI World Championship Finals
Indianapolis, IN | Lucas Oil Stadium | Thursday, Aug. 8
Buy Tickets
