Carnival Cruise Lines and KHOU 11 Hosting 'Battle of the High School Marching Bands' Competition in Houston

Houston-Area High Schools to Compete for $10,000 Prize from Carnival and Performance Aboard a Texas-based 'Fun Ship'
Sep 22, 2014 4:00 PM ET

September 22, 2014 /3BL Media/ - The search is on for the most spirited band in Houston! Carnival Cruise Lines, Texas' largest cruise operator, is partnering with CBS affiliate KHOU 11 for "The Battle of the High School Marching Bands" competition in Greater Houston. The fun contest celebrates the musical talent of local area students, and will award one talented band a $10,000 cash prize from Carnival and the opportunity to perform aboard one of Carnival's "Fun Ships" in Galveston on a turnaround day this fall.

For the month of September, high school marching bands in the greater Houston area were invited to showcase their school spirit and musical talent in a video in which they perform their school's fight song, alma mater or original piece of music. Carnival will select five finalists based on sound, musical ability and style.

"Carnival is truly excited to provide this fun and unique opportunity to Houston-area high school students to show off their musical talent, win money for their school and enjoy a terrific day of fun aboard a Carnival ship this fall," said Jim Berra, chief marketing officer for Carnival Cruise Lines. "We are strong believers in supporting our homeport communities and Houston is our number one source market for our cruises from Galveston which currently carry more than 475,000 guests a year.  With the addition of a third year-round ship in 2015, that number is expected to increase to more than 600,000, making Galveston our second largest homeport," Berra added.

Beginning October 13, fans can rally around the KHOU 11 Facebook page (www.facebook.com/KHOU11) and vote for their favorite band out of the five finalists, up to one time per day through October 22. Viewers can tune into KHOU 11 "News in the Morning" the week of October 27 to learn which local band is the grand prize winner, receiving $10,000 from Carnival to help fund the school's music program and the opportunity to perform aboard one of Carnival's "Fun Ships" on a turnaround day in Galveston this fall. The four additional band finalists will each receive a $1,000 cash prize from the line.

Carnival is the cruise line leader in Texas with two ships, Carnival Magic and Carnival Triumph, sailing year-round from Galveston, Texas. Starting in February 2015, Carnival Freedom -- which recently underwent an extensive multi-million dollar transformation -- will be the third year-round "Fun Ship" to homeport in Galveston.  

Guests can learn more about Carnival cruise vacations from Texas by contacting their travel agent or visiting www.carnival.com.