San Pedro Town was again well represented at the Belize Band Fest 2024 held in Benque Viejo Del Carmen in the Cayo District on Saturday, July 20th. This year, the San Pedro High School (SPHS) and San Pedro Roman Catholic Primary School (SPRCS) brought home two of the top three trophies. They made history with SPHS winning first place and SPRCS securing third place in the annual event that sees the best drum and marching bands from the country and abroad.
The SPRCS has participated in the Band Fest before without competing. However, this year, they decided to get into the competition against the other top schools. They were the only primary school taking the challenge this year and delivered a phenomenal performance, impressing the judges and meriting their milestone achievement. The organizing committee at the SPRCS said they were very proud of their students who worked tirelessly before the competition. They said their hard work paid off and will definitely be back at Band Fest next year.
The SPHS is not also a stranger to the talented competition. In Band Fest 2023, they returned to the island with recognition for the Best Leader/Director for (Richard Pitts) and second place in the drum corps category. This year, however, the high school band practiced harder and prepared well to dominate the thrilling competition. Despite some rain and a muddy field at the Marshalleck Stadium, SPHS’s performance was solid, captivating the judges, who found their performance flawless and deserving of first place. San Pedro’s Richard Pitts was awarded for Best Director again.
The island band defeated the 2023 champions, Independence High School, from southern Belize. The 2023 champions, however, took home the second place and DrumLine Championship as well. The Band Fest saw several bands participating nationwide, including from neighboring Guatemala. From among those, only seven joined the competition.
Upon their return to the island, the SPHS and SPRCS were welcomed with a grand parade on Sunday, July 21st. Community members and Councillors from the San Pedro Town Council congratulated the bands and accompanied them in the victory parade. It started at Central Park and headed north through the Boca del Rio beach strip and back to downtown, ending at Central Park.
The San Pedro Sun joins the community in congratulating the SPHS and the SPRCS for their talent and dedication and for putting the name of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, on the national platform.
