Festival Trip - 2026

Dear SPMS Festival Parents/Guardians,

Congratulations to your student on being selected for the Festival Band, Festival Orchestra I & II, Jazz Ensemble, and/or Percussion Ensemble!

The festival trip this year will be to Great Wolf Lodge and Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA from May 7-9, 2026. We will participate in Music in the Parks, which is a national organization that coordinates judged, competitive music performances in conjunction with an amusement park visit and awards ceremony.  SPMS has participated in similar trips for years and found it both worthwhile and fun.

Time Expectation

For the Festival trip, students will be dismissed from class by 11:30 AM on Thursday, May 7, and will miss a half day of school, plus all of Friday, May 8.  It is the student’s responsibility to meet with teachers for make-up assignments as outlined by school policy.

Financial Expectation

Final costs for the trip will be set in mid-February.  Costs from prior year Festival trips have ranged from $350-$450 per student.  The estimate for this year is $400 and we will make every effort to keep the trip as affordable as possible. The trip includes motor coach bus transportation, two night’s stay at Great Wolf Lodge, all meals, festival registration fees, an admission ticket for Busch Gardens, and a festival T-shirt. Additional details will be shared as the itinerary is solidified. 

It is highly recommended that each family involved with Festival Band, Festival Orchestra I & II, Jazz Ensemble, and Percussion Ensemble become members of the SPMS Music Boosters. If you are not a member, you will miss out on important information sent out about the trip as most communication will come from Jennifer Greeff, our Booster President and Festival Chair.

If you have extenuating circumstances affecting your ability to pay for Music in the Parks, please download and fill out the form linked below and submit it to the SPMS Executive Secretary, Colleen Edelen at cedelen@aacps.org. 

https://www.spmsmusic.org/assets/06968/Forms/SPMS_MUSIC_BOOSTERS_Fee_Waiver_Application_10162022.pdf

Festival Student Deposit

To register your student for the trip, please go to https://www.spmsmusic.org/open_forms and pay your students $100 Festival Student Fee. This year's fee covers the $85 deposit for the trip and $15 for the festival T-shirt to be worn at Busch Gardens.

Chaperones

We could not do this trip without our parents! We will need approximately 27 chaperones and the chaperone cost is anticipated to be $335. In addition, fingerprint background checks will be required by the county for all overnight chaperones.

Note: fingerprinting must be done by March 1. More information will be provided on this after chaperone selection. We will require a deposit, which will be due January 31, 2026, if you are selected. Please do NOT pay a chaperone deposit until you have been selected.

Chaperone spots are mostly, but not necessarily, filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please be aware that although we will make every effort, chaperones are not absolutely guaranteed to chaperone their own child. This happens when multiple parents of student buddies sign up to chaperone. In this case, you can still be with your child at the Lodge and in the park, as roommate groups (3 students) are free to form larger groups. Please talk to your child about the importance of selecting a roommate group.

Payment

The Festival Student Fee of $100 (for each one if you have more than one child) is required by November 2nd to reserve a spot and cover trip deposits. Chaperone deposits will be $100 and due no later than January 31, 2026. The remaining balance will be due by March 31, 2026.  Once student/chaperone fees are paid, the deposit is not reimbursable due to legal contracts with hotel, buses, etc. which require a set headcount.

Remember, no money will be accepted at school!

We hope your child is excited about participating in the Music in the
Parks Festival; It will be a wonderful trip!  If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Greeff at president@spmsmusic.org.

Sincerely,

Mr. Knox

Director, SPMS Band and Orchestra

***If your student is not participating in this Festival trip, I can remove you from the Festival trip email list. Please reply and let me know the name of your student.