EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The Edwardsville Marching Tigers are starting off the new year in 2026 in England.

“We have multiple fundraisers going on and you can only help yourself by going home and practicing your instrument and practicing your marching,” said Micah Finckbone, trumpet player. “There’s always room for improvement, that’s for sure.”

There will be 140 members of the band representing Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7, making their way across the pond for a prestigious performance at the London New Year’s Day Parade.

The parade, celebrating its 40th anniversary, will see 8,000 performers from around the world gathered in London.

Director of bands Ryan Lipscomb has spent months on the application and acceptance process.

“I think it’s just great to go see a place that’s different from what you see every day,” said Lipscomb. “See how people live their lives in other parts of the world.”

And since they have a big program, they’ll take it to Big Ben and show them in the UK how this group keeps time together.

“It’s really about playing with other people,” said percussionist Zinna Allen. “To other people, it seems like a lot of effort, and it is. But it’s so nice to have this awesome product that we make together.”