DCI Tour Returns to the Pacific Northwest

The Drum Corps International Tour is set to return to the Pacific Northwest in 2024.

The 2024 DCI Tour, which will feature more than 80 events over the course of the summer, will make stops in Portland, Seattle, Tri Cities and Boise, July 5-9. This will mark the first competitive DCI events in the region since the summer of 2022.

“The drum corps fans of the Pacific Northwest are a wonderful group of people who are very passionate about the drum corps activity,” said Brian Fisher, board chair of the Northwest Youth Music Association (NYMA) which serves as the parent organization of the Seattle Cascades.

“By hosting a portion of the 2024 DCI Tour, the NYMA can continue to build a strong infrastructure that will sustain the Seattle Cascades and the Pacific Northwest for many years to come.”

The return of the DCI Tour to the Pacific Northwest comes after strong 2023 seasons from the Seattle Cascades and Columbians, each of which serve as World and Open Class representatives of their region.

For the Seattle corps, 2023 marked its return to the field for the first time since 2019. Cascades earned a Semifinalist position, taking 25th place overall. For Columbians, 2023’s tour marked the corps’ first trip to DCI World Championship events, where it impressively took fourth place in Open Class competition and 24th overall.

“For the Seattle Cascades, being able to get back on the road, tour and compete in 2023 was a huge success,” Fisher said. “Making the Top 25 was an even greater success, and sharing that accomplishment with the Columbians helped to highlight the talent we have in the Pacific Northwest.”

“The Pacific Northwest has a rich drum corps history, and this past summer started a new chapter by exposing so many kids, as well as their friends and families, to the drum corps activity,” he added.

With DCI Tour events set to return to the region in 2024, Fisher noted that members of the area’s drum corps community are excited for what the upcoming summer can do for the activity’s local popularity and participation.

“All those who ever marched in a corps know the life lessons learned that they still use in their everyday lives today,” Fisher said. “Many of us were exposed to the activity by going to a drum corps show. Having the tour here is an important way to reach that next generation of leaders for our activity and our country."

"If we are successful in that, just imagine the possibilities.”