The University of Central Arkansas and the Bear Marching Band will host the 2026 Band Day event on Saturday, September 12! We would love to invite you and your students to join us for this special event. Not only is it a unique opportunity to introduce high school students to the joys and excitement of participating in a college marching band, but it also builds wonderful camaraderie among students and directors across Arkansas!
This year, your students will have the opportunity to perform with the Bear Marching Band as we go to the movies! Grab your popcorn, find your seat, and enjoy a trip through the magic of the silver screen. From secret agents and animated friendships to galaxies far, far away, ‘BMB Goes To The Movies’ celebrates the stories, characters, and soundtracks that have become part of our lives.
We ask that the students wear khaki shorts, white socks, tennis shoes, and the provided T-shirt for the performance. Baseball caps and sunscreen are encouraged, as we will be rehearsing outside in the afternoon, and it can get quite hot! You can find the schedule for the day at the bottom of this page.
Band parents may purchase discounted General Admission tickets to the football game. Use the promo code Family26 to receive a 50% discount for General Admission seats! (promo code will be available from 9/6 @12am to 9/12 @12pm)
The cost for each student for Band Day will be $15, and includes a meal and a t-shirt. Checks may be payable to ‘UCA Bands’, or conveniently paid by Credit Card at our online store! Be sure to select ‘Band Day’ registration, as well as how many students you’ll be paying for:
Note: If payment is not received by the time the student arrives on campus, they will not be permitted to participate. We have had problems with this in the past and ended up falling short of our budget, causing a lot of headaches and strife for both the band directors and the university’s financing department.
Also, NO REFUNDS will be given once payment has been submitted. Please make sure that your registration numbers are accurate when submitting payment!
Please fill out the attached Google Form and Excel Spreadsheet with everyone registering for the event. The registration deadline is Friday, August 28, so we have time to prepare the necessary logistics. All students, including percussion and color guard, must provide their instruments, mouthpieces, valve oil, sticks/mallets, etc., as UCA will provide none.
Registration coming soon!
For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Dr. Derek Stoughton, director of the Bear Marching Band, at dstoughton@uca.edu. We hope to see you and as many of your students as possible at the 2026 UCA Band Day! GO BEARS!
You can find the schedule for the day at this link.
The map for trucks and buses can be found here.
Final information for the event can be found here.