Daily News Podcast
Daily Newsletters
116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
The beat goes on
Tournament of Drums returns to Kingston, its longtime home after 2-year hiatus
The Tournament of Drums, featuring seven Open Class drum and bugle corps from throughout the United States and Canada, returns to Kingston Stadium on Friday.
The music and marching competition features nearly 1,000 performers ages 12 to 21, on horns, percussion and color guard, who spend their summers perfecting their on-field shows.
Hosted by the nonprofit Iowa Music & Arts Association and Colt Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps from Dubuque, this time-honored competition traces its history to 1950, but was on hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Books detailing the long history of drum and bugle corps in Cedar Rapids will be sold at Tournament of Drums.
According to Drum Corps International, more than 8,000 people audition each year for fewer than 3,500 positions in roughly 50 drum corps worldwide.
Each show is judged and scored based on musical and visual performance standards.
The Cedar Rapids show — a three-time recipient of the Best Drum Corps International Open Class Tour Event — features five-time DCI Open Class champion Vanguard Cadets of Santa Clara, Calif., along with the Colt Cadet. Also performing will be Gold of Bakersfield, Calif., Guardians of Houston, Texas., The Battalion of Salt Lake City, Utah, River City Rhythm of Anoka, Minnesota, and Les Stentors of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
While in Cedar Rapids the corps will be staying at area schools, including Gold at Bunger Middle School in Waterloo and Vanguard Cadets at Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids.
The show begins at 7 p.m. Friday with the gates opening at 5:30 p.m. at Kingston Stadium, 907 15th St. SW, Cedar Rapids.
Tickets are $17 in advance purchased at area Hills Bank and West Music locations. Tickets also will be sold at the gate for $20. Kids age 5 and under are free.
If you go
What: Tournament of Drums
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, 2022
Where: Kingston Stadium, 907 15th St. SW, Cedar Rapids
Cost: $17 in advance purchased at area Hills Bank and West Music locations; $20 at the gate; free to kids 5 and under
Details: Visit TournamentofDrums.com
A member of the color guard with River City Rhythm Drum & Bugle Corp. of Anoka, Minn., reaches to catch a flag she sent airborne as the team warms up before their performance at the 2018 Tournament of Drums drum and bugle corps. competition and show at Kingston Stadium in Cedar Rapids on Aug. 3, 2018. The competition returns to Kingston this Friday after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
The Colt Cadets of Dubuque perform during the 2018 Tournament of Drums drum and bugle corps competition and show at Kingston Stadium in Cedar Rapids Aug. 3, 2018. The competition returns to Kingston this Friday after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Leah Dunbar of the Spartans Drum & Bugle Corps. of Nashua, New Hampshire, uses chains and a trash can lid as an instrument as the corps warms up before their performance during the 2018 Tournament of Drums drum and bugle corps competition and show at Kingston Stadium in Cedar Rapids on Aug. 3, 2018. The competition returns to Kingston this Friday after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
