Make your debut
There’s nothing quite like the experience of a Heritage Festival for young musicians. The festival experience affords your ensemble national exposure, welcoming competition, and expert adjudication and mentorship. Choirs, bands, and orchestras come together to share their love of music in a lively learning environment.
The perfect time to plan your 2026 festival is now. Here’s 3 reasons why.
SET THE TONE
Announcing your festival plans a year in advance 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
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 12-15 | Mar 19-22 | Mar 26-29 | Apr 9-12 | Apr 16-19 | Apr 23-26 | April 30- May 3 | May 14-17 | May 21-24
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
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 9-12 | Apr 16-19 | Apr 23-26
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
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 26-29 | Apr 9-12
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
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 26-29 | Apr 9-12 | Apr 23-26
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
Honolulu HAWAII
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 18-22
Your Package
Includes
• Admission to Polynesian Cultural Center and Awards Ceremony Dinner
• Transfer to Pearl Harbor USS Arizona Memorial
• 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
Mar 26-29 | Apr 9-12 | Apr 16-19
• Willis Tower
• Broadway in Chicago • Museum of Science & Industry
• AIM Experience Master Class
New Orleans LOUISIANA
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 26-29 | Apr 9-12
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
New for 2026!
March weekend festival includes special Mariachi band competition!
San Antonio
TEXAS
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 19-22 | Apr 9-12
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
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 16-19
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
MASSACHUSETTS
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 16-19 | Apr 23-26
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
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 19-22 | Mar 26-29 | Apr 9-12 | Apr 16-19 | Apr 23-26
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
Washington, D.C.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 9-12 | Apr 16-19
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
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 9-12 | Apr 23-26
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
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Apr 9-12 | Apr 16-19
Your Package Includes
• Exclusive Awards Ceremony and celebration
Popular Activities
• Georgia Aquarium
• Six Flags Theme Park
• World of Coca-Cola®
• Atlanta Symphony
• AIM Experience Master Class
TENNESSEE
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 19-22 | Apr 9-12 | Apr 16-19
Your Package
Includes
• Exclusive Awards Ceremony and dinner celebration
• Admission to Country Music Hall of Fame
Popular Activities
• Grand Ole Opry®
• RCA Studio B
• Johnny Cash Museum
• AIM Experience Master Class
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
Mar 12-15 | Mar 19-22 | Mar 26-29 | Apr 9-12 | Apr 16-19
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
• La Grande Roue de Montréal
• AIM Experience Master Class
Vancouver
BRITISH COLUMBIA
2026 FESTIVAL DATES
May 21-24
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
2026 Calendar & Conductors
National Youth Choir
March 6–9, Performance Date—March 8
Conductors: Christopher Aspaas and Anton Armstrong
March 26–29, Performance Date—March 28
Conductors: Lynne Gackle and Jeffery Ames
April 17–20, Performance Date—April 19
Conductors: Lynnel Joy Jenkins
National Multi-Generational Choir
April 17–20, Performance Date—April 19
Conductors: Jeffery Redding
Instrumental Music Festival
March 5–8, Performance March 7
March 26–29, Performance—March 28
National Band & Orchestra Festival
April 1–4, Performance April 3
April 2–5, Performance April 4
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
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 festival performances, in-depth clinics, and top-scoring festival ensemble performances.
2026 FESTIVAL OF GOLD LINEUP
Nashville
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
March 21–24, Performance March 23
Chicago
Orchestra Hall
Dates TBA
If our festival dates and cities don’t fit your needs, we’ve got you covered. With our custom performing tours, we can build the perfect trip to fit your goals and your budget.
Customized Performing Tours
BUILD THE PERFORMING EXPERIENCE OF YOUR DREAMS
CUSTOM TOUR FAVORITES
Orlando Nashville
Washington, D.C.
Italy
Germany, Austria, Czech Republic
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
“I want to be that catalyst that encourages students to enjoy music, recognize its beauty, and teach them love and compassion for life. I choose WorldStrides each year because they offer that to students.”
- Chris, Music Director
“I chose WorldStrides because a Heritage Festival changed my life forever. I participated in this festival for the first time as a sophomore in high school, and this is when I made the personal decision to become a choir director. Experiencing this caliber of music as a young musician was what solidified my love for choral music, and now, getting to take my own students (and earn a gold rating) for the first time represented such a big moment for my life!”
- Carlos, Choir Director