It’s very satisfying to announce that Vintage Band Festival has received a 2026 Arts Experiences grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board! We received the entire $35,000 for which we applied.

This grant and others we’ve received in the past are made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund established in 2008 by an act of the Minnesota legislature and ratified and renewed by the Minnesota voters. This funding is the life blood of many arts organizations in the state of Minnesota.

We will use the funds from this grant to partially underwrite Vintage Band Festival 2026 taking place July 30-August 2, 2026. Specifically, we will tell the story of military and ceremonial bands in the United States from the 19^th century to the present day. There will be reenactor bands from the Civil War period, the late 19^th century American town band period, World War I, and contemporary military and ceremonial bands represented.

2026 will be the 20^th anniversary of Vintage Band Festival as well as the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We intend to focus the festival programming on each of these milestone dates.