INDIANAPOLIS — A sunny Saturday on South Street served as the perfect backdrop for one of the Drum Corps International Tour’s most unique and exciting events, the SoundSport International Music & Food Festival presented by Jazz Wealth.
The event, now in its 12th year, brought together a blend of local, national and global performing ensembles, an array of delicious cuisines, and a plethora of fans of all ages to celebrate the final day of the DCI World Championships and Summer Tour.
Saturday’s festival featured, in total, more than 20 ensembles of many different performance styles and backgrounds, competing for gold, silver, and bronze ratings. When all was said and done, Rhythm IN BLUE took home “Best of Show” honors.
“I love it,” Rhythm IN BLUE tuba player Ryan Watson said. “This is a really different experience for me; the opportunity is massive.”
The beauty of SoundSport is its all-inclusive nature; ensembles of all different shapes and sizes wowed an engaged audience at Saturday’s event.
For example, groups like Carolina Gold, Blue Saints, and more were able to perform drum corps-style productions on a more intimate stage.
According to Carolina Gold trumpet player Will Jung, the SoundSport platform offers the perfect opportunity for a smaller organization like Carolina Gold — a former All-Age drum corps looking to return to such status — to regain its footing on a manageable stage.
“During COVID, our corps shut down, and this is the first time that the organization has come back out since and performed publicly,” Jung said. “It’s just such a rush seeing this corps coming back on this platform.”
The international nature of Saturday’s event was on full display, with a total of four Canadian ensembles, as well as one percussion ensemble from Belgium — DrumSpirit — taking part in the festivities.
Local ensembles represented Indiana and its surrounding region well on a nearby stage, as bands from Montgomery County, Frankton-Lapel High School, Valley High School (KY), and Indianapolis Public Schools brought scholastic marching band flavor to the SoundSport audience.
“This is the second year we’ve come to SoundSport,” Montgomery County Unified Band drum major Avery Stokes said. “The environment has such a good and positive impact. We perform at the Indiana State Fair every year the week before this, so coming here, it’s almost like a victory run for us.”
Finally — before shifting focus over to DCI World Championship Finals festivities inside Lucas Oil Stadium — four percussion ensembles took part in the event’s annual DrumLine Battle contest, with 7th Regiment winning the top prize.
The SoundSport International Music & Food Festival presented by Jazz Wealth is set to return to Indianapolis next summer, Saturday, August 8, 2026.
RESULTS
Gold Rating
Rhythm IN BLUE
The Stampede
Eclipse
DrumSpirit
Troopers Legacy Corps
Frankton-Lapel Marching Band
Impact
Northern Lights
Silver Rating
Sonus Brass Theater
Calgary Round-Up Band
Calgary Stetson Show Band
Latrobe Music Center
Green Beret Marching Band
Phoenix
Montgomery County Unified Band
Carolina Gold
Bronze Rating
Spark
Conquest
IPS Combined Marching Band
Blue Saints
