L.A. County high school marching band to perform at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

A high school marching band from La Verne has been chosen to perform at the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

Officials from Damien High School and Macy’s announced Monday afternoon that the Spartan Regiment Marching Band would represent the state of California at the beloved holiday parade next fall.

It will be the first time that the all-boys Catholic school has been chosen to take part in the parade, and school officials called the honor a “landmark moment.”

“Damien has a proud history in marching band, and we are excited about the future of our program,” said Troy Lopez, communications specialist with Damien High School.

JJ Magallon, the marching band director, said his students were honored and grateful to represent the school in a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform on one of the biggest stages in the world.”

It’s not the first time the school’s marching band was chosen to perform on a big stage. Earlier this school year, the band took part in a parade performance at Disneyland.

More than 100 school marching bands applied to be among those chosen to perform at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade next year. Nine schools in total were chosen to perform and Damien is the only California school to receive the honor.

“Macy’s Parade Band Committee was delighted by the unique presentation the Damien High School Spartan Regiment submitted,” said Sara Flores, associate producer of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “This small but mighty band packs a lot of punch into their performances and we have no doubt their showing in the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will bring California sound and spectacle to the streets of New York City.”

The marching band will now spend the next 18 months planning and preparing and rehearsing for their parade appearance. Fundraising efforts have officially begun and the school is accepting donations to help cover costs of travel for the trip.

Officials say the trip will be the experience of a lifetime and will also bring the school and the community closer together.

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