Debut your ensemble
At WorldStrides, we believe education and personal growth are the cornerstones of a truly enriching experience. That’s why our nationally acclaimed Heritage Festivals stand as a beacon for young musicians seeking both inspirational performance opportunities and transformative learning.
From national exposure and friendly competition to actionable, meaningful adjudication and mentorship, these events offer school choirs, bands, and orchestras the perfect blend of fun and learning.
The perfect time to plan your 2025 festival is now. Here’s 3 reasons why.
SET THE TONE
Announcing your festival plans early has so many great benefits. It motivates and inspires students, and helps build new interest in your music program.
SAVE BIG
When you book early, you take advantage of some great savings for your group and a nice boost for your classroom.
ROADMAP YOUR FUNDRAISING
Planning now gives you a comfortable fundraising runway which makes it easier on families to give their kids this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We’ll be here to help you every step of the way.
Make
it
your own
Our Heritage Festival packages are designed to be as unique as you are! You can stay as many nights as you’d like, add a Course Leader to guide your group, add meals each day, plus shows and activities.
Whatever you choose, our talented Account Managers are with you every step of the way building the perfect itinerary.
A partner you can count on
We’ve thought through all the details so you can focus on the music.
Every Heritage Festival package comes with these valuable features:
> Performance in a national music festival
> Post-performance onstage clinic
> Professional adjudication with written and recorded feedback from a panel of three music professionals in your field
> Awards and trophies for top-scoring groups, and participation plaques for each ensemble
> Professional performance recording
FOR YOU
> One free travel package for every 25 full-paying travelers
> Access to our online Director Tool Kit — including all the resources you need to present to your administration, support your fundraising efforts, and promote your trip effectively
> Flexible payment options to allow paying as a group or to have WorldStrides collect funds directly from travelers
> Free professional development and discounted graduate credit
> Director’s gift
> The industry’s best liability coverage
FOR YOUR STUDENTS
> Quality-hotel accommodations
> Medical and accident insurance for every traveler
> Optional Full Refund Program
> Commemorative pin for each student
> Opportunity to earn free high school academic credit
Take your group to the next level
AIM EXPERIENCE MASTER CLASS
Available as an optional add-on at all events, this exclusive, private masterclass is led by a college-level music professional in your destination city. Choose your focus in advance with your clinician—reaffirming your classroom teachings, fine-tune your concert repertoire, it’s up to you!
Anaheim CALIFORNIA
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 13-16 | Mar 20-23 | Mar 27-30 | Apr 3-6 | Apr 10-13 | Apr 24-27 | May 1-4 | May 15-18 | May 22-25
Your Package
Includes
• One-day pass to Disneyland ® Resort
• Private Awards Ceremony in the park
Popular Activities
• Universal Studios Hollywood ™
• Six Flags ® Magic Mountain
• Los Angeles Philharmonic
• AIM Experience Master Class
west coast
(c) Disney
San Francisco CALIFORNIA
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 27-30 | Apr 3-6 | Apr 10-13 | Apr 24-27
Your Package
Includes
• One-day pass to California’s Great America
• Awards Ceremony and Dinner in the park
Popular Activities
• Pier 39 & Fisherman’s Wharf
• Aquarium at the Bay
• AIM Experience Master Class
west coast
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 10-13 | Apr 24-27
Your Package
Includes
• One-day Pass to Universal Studios Hollywood™
• Private Awards Ceremony in the park
Popular Activities
• LA Dodgers Game
• LA Symphony
• Warner Brothers Studio Tour
• AIM Experience Master Class
west coast
San DiegoCALIFORNIA
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 27-30 | Apr 3-6 | Apr 10-13
Your Package Includes
• Saturday SeaWorld® Day Pass
• Awards Reception at SeaWorld®
Popular Activities
• San Diego Zoo®
• USS Midway Museum
• Old Town
• AIM Experience Master Class
west coast
Honolulu HAWAII
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 19-23
Your Package
Includes
• Admission to Polynesian Cultural Center and Awards Ceremony Dinner
• Transfer to Pearl Harbor
• Airport transfers plus ground transportation to performance venue
• Lei greeting at airport
Popular Activities
• Diamond Head Crater
• Grand Circle Island Tour
• Hanauma Bay
• AIM Experience Master Class
west coast
Mar 27-30 | Apr 3-6 | Apr 24-27
• Exclusive Awards Ceremony and dinner celebration
• Seattle Space Needle
• Museum of Pop Culture
• AIM Experience Master Class
west coast
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 27-30 | Apr 3-6 | Apr 10-13
• Awards Ceremony dinner at Medieval Times® Popular Activities
• Willis Tower
• Broadway in Chicago
• Museum of Science & Industry
• AIM Experience Master Class
Colorado Springs
FESTIVAL RETURNING IN 2026!
Your Package
Includes
• Manitou Cliff Dwelling visit
• Awards Ceremony and dance party with DJ
Popular Activities
• Royal Gorge Bridge
• Melodrama Dinner Theatre
• Garden of the Gods
• AIM Experience Master Class
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 3-6
• Day pass to Six Flags Theme Park
• Awards Ceremony and Dinner at Six Flags Popular Activities
• Dallas or Ft. Worth Symphony
• Dallas World Aquarium or Dallas Zoo
• Sixth Floor Museum
• AIM Experience Master Class
New Orleans
LOUISIANA
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 27-30 | Apr 10-13
Your Package
Includes
• Masquerade Ball Awards Ceremony, dinner, and dance
Popular Activities
• Steamboat Natchez Dinner Cruise
• Mardi Gras World
• World War II Museum
• AIM Experience Master Class
San Antonio
TEXAS
FESTIVAL RETURNING IN 2026!
Your Package Includes
• Exclusive Awards Ceremony, rodeo, dinner, and dancing at Pedrotti’s Ranch Popular Activities
• SeaWorld®
• The Alamo
• Six Flags® Fiesta Texas
• AIM Experience Master Class
St. Louis
MISSOURI
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 24-27
Your Package
Includes
• One-day pass to Six Flags®
• Awards Ceremony in the park
Popular Activities
• Gateway Arch
• Riverboat Cruise
• St. Louis Zoo
• AIM Experience Master Class
Boston
MASSACHUSETTS
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 10-13 | Apr 24-27
Your Package
Includes
• Guided city tour
• Exclusive Awards Ceremony, dinner, and dance
Popular Activities
• Boston Symphony
• Blue Man Group
• New England Aquarium
• AIM Experience Master Class
New York City
NEW YORK
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 20-23 | Mar 27-30 | Apr 3-6 | Apr 10-13 | Apr 24-27
Your Package
Includes
• Performance and private Awards Ceremony at Riverside Church
• Dinner and dance on Circle Line Cruise
Popular Activities
• Broadway Shows
• Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
• Museum of Modern Art
• AIM Experience Master Class
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 24-27
• Exclusive Awards Ceremony, dinner, and dance Popular Activities
• Franklin Institute
• Guided city walking tour
• Philly Baseball
• AIM Experience Master Class
Washington, D.C.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 3-6 | Apr 10-13
Your Package
Includes
• Gala Awards Ceremony, dinner, and dance
• City tour of historic sites and museums
Popular Activities
• Kennedy Center
• Smithsonian Museums
• Arlington National Cemetery
• AIM Experience Master Class
Williamsburg VIRGINIA
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 3-6 | Apr 24-27
Your Package
Includes
• Colonial Williamsburg self-explorer study visit
• Awards Ceremony at Busch Gardens®
• Saturday-pass to Busch Gardens®
Popular Activities
• Historic Jamestown Settlement
• Ghost Tours
• Nauticus Maritime Center
• AIM Experience Master Class
Atlanta
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 3-6 | Apr 10-13
Your Package
Includes
• Day pass to Six Flags Theme Park
• Awards Ceremony and picnic dinner at Six Flags
Popular Activities
• Georgia Aquarium
• World of Coca-Cola®
• Atlanta Symphony
• AIM Experience Master Class
Nashville TENNESSEE
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 13-16 | Mar 20-23 | Apr 10-13
Your Package
Includes
• Exclusive Awards Ceremony and dinner
• Admission to Country Music Hall of Fame
Popular Activities
• Grand Ole Opry®
• RCA Studio B
• Johnny Cash Museum
• AIM Experience Master Class
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 13-16 | Mar 20-23 | Mar 27-30 | Apr 3-6 | Apr 10-13
Your Package
Includes
• 2-day, Park-to-Park Ticket to Universal Orlando Resort™
• Private Awards Ceremony in the park
• Hotel accommodations at a Universal property (limited availability)
Popular Activities
• Kennedy Space Center
• Universal CityWalk™
• Additional park performances
• AIM Experience Master Class
Toronto ONTARIO
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 10-13
Your Package
Includes
• Awards Ceremony, dinner, and dance at Chelsea Hotel
• Downtown accommodations at Chelsea Hotel with daily breakfast included
Popular Activities
• Hockey Hall of Fame
• Royal Ontario Museum
• Niagara Falls
• AIM Experience Master Class
Vancouver
BRITISH COLUMBIA
2025 FESTIVAL DATES
May 22-25
Your Package
Includes
• Private Awards Ceremony, rides, and picnic dinner at P.N.E. Playland
• Choose: Capilano Bridge Tour or Super Skyride at Grouse Mountain
Popular Activities
• Vancouver Aquarium™
• Lookout Tower
• Vancouver Symphony
• AIM Experience Master Class
By invite-only, talented ensembles perform in the main hall of this famed venue. Stand in the footsteps of musical greats, learn from renowned conductors and adjudicators, and enjoy the best NYC has to offer.
Festival at Carnegie Hall
THE VERY DEFINITION OF ACCOMPLISHMENT
Your Package Includes
• Performance on the Isaac Stern Auditorium/Ronald O. Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
• Attendance to a Broadway Show
• Choice of sightseeing activity: Top of the Rock, 9/11 Museum, One World Trade Center, Statue of Liberty, or Empire State Building
• Midtown Manhattan accommodations
2025 Calendar & Conductors
National Youth Choir
March 7 – 10, Performance Date—March 9
Conductors: Anton Armstrong and Rollo Dilworth
March 14 – 17, Performance Date—March 16
Conductor: Gary Seighman
March 28 – 31, Performance Date—March 30
Conductors: Jeffery Redding and Edith Copley
National Middle School Choir
March 14 – 17, Performance Date March 16
Conductor: Brandon Boyd
Instrumental Spring Festival
March 28 – 31, Performance March 30
National Band & Orchestra Festival
April 16 – 19, Performance April 18 April 17 – 20, Performance April 19
Festival of Gold
PREMIER STAGES FOR ENSEMBLES OF DISTINCTION
This festival offers all these great experiences in one—a prime performance at an elite venue, adjudicated performances, in-depth clinics, and top-scoring ensemble performances.
2025 FESTIVAL OF GOLD LINEUP
Nashville
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
March 29 – April 1, Performance March 31
Chicago Orchestra Hall April 12 – 15, Performance April 14
Customized Performing Tours
Orlando Nashville Washington, D.C.
