As the book closes on 2025, this countdown of some of the most-read headlines on DCI.org tracks the landscape of the drum corps activity over the course of the last calendar year.
10.
February 26, 2025
Troopers' meaningful show reveal provided fans with excitement as the 2025 DCI Tour neared.
Troopers’ 2025 production, “The Final Sunset,” will combine nostalgia and reminiscences into a package that aims to add emotional depth to the ever-changing story of its central hero.
9.
April 9, 2025
An esteemed class of four notable individuals was welcomed into the Drum Corps International Hall of Fame.
Joining the DCI Hall of Fame ranks in 2025 will be Jack Bevins, Matt Harloff, Allan Kristensen and Jim Moore. They will be honored as part of the DCI World Championships this August in Indianapolis.
8.
August 7, 2025
The DCI World Championships opened up with razor-thin competition between the top contenders.
Just 0.175 points separated the top two corps at Thursday’s DCI World Championship Prelims, as Boston Crusaders inched closer to a first-ever DCI World Championship title and narrowly edged out the defending champion Bluecoats.
7.
August 1, 2025
Always a highlight on the DCI Tour Schedule, the first of two nights in Allentown, Pennsylvania, saw Bluecoats post a commanding score atop the leaderboard.
While Bluecoats’ Friday night margin of victory was largely predicated on the corps’ standout scores in General Effect, the defending World Champions managed to earn top marks in every caption. Bluecoats’ 96.475 serves as the second-highest score ever recorded in Allentown, just 0.35 shy of the all-time record, 2014 Blue Devils’ 96.825.
6.
January 10, 2025
Spartans announced plans in 2025 to enter the World Class competitive ranks beginning in full in 2026.
According to Spartans president Paul LaFlamme, despite the corps’ organizational growth — especially over the past handful of years, which has seen the corps expand its size and touring capacity — his team is unified in maintaining the corps’ identity while continuing to fulfill the organization’s mission.
5.
August 8, 2025
The penultimate day of the 2025 DCI Tour featured a switch on the top end of the World Championship standings.
Bluecoats, the second-place finisher in Thursday’s Prelims event, flipped the script, moving ahead of Boston Crusaders for the Semifinals top position and inching closer to a second-consecutive World Championship title.
4.
August 2, 2025
One night after an impressive score from Bluecoats, Boston Crusaders posted a tally right on par, as competitive races surged toward the season's conclusion.
Boston Crusaders, a corps with its sights set on the 2025 DCI World Championship title, picked up a key victory on the road to Indianapolis, earning first out of a lineup of 10 World Class corps at the second of two nights of DCI Eastern Classic competition.
3.
July 19, 2025
Boston Crusaders made history at the DCI Southwestern Championship, making an early competitive statement on the 2025 DCI Tour.
The New England corps earned top scores in Visual Proficiency and all Music captions, and with a final tally of 93.213, set the new all-time high San Antonio score. Remarkably, 2025 is the third-consecutive year that the San Antonio record-high score has been rebroken.
2.
June 25, 2025
Excitement abounded throughout the drum corps community for the return of DCI's "Big, Loud, & Live" movie theater event.
“The goal of ‘Big, Loud & Live’ has always been as a celebratory social event,” said longtime DCI broadcast host Steve Rondinaro. “It’s a chance to get off the couch, gather with friends, and experience the energy of Marching Music’s Major League together as a community. And of course, bring someone new to the activity and cheer loud and proud!”
1.
August 9, 2025
Boom! Boston Crusaders closed out the 2025 DCI Summer Tour with a first-ever World Championship title — a gold medal memory 85 years in the making.
One of the oldest active World Class corps, originated in 1940 and a founding member of Drum Corps International, took 27 years since the genesis of DCI to reach its first Top 12 appearance — a ninth place finish in 1999. 23 years after that, the corps earned a medal for the first time.
