For Traveling Families
The Trip, The Cost, The Deadlines
Everything below comes straight from the London 2028 Family Handbook (Version 1.0, September 2026). Keep the handbook, turn in one page — the Agreement & Signature Page, due Thursday, October 1, 2026 with the first payment.
Two ways to sign up — pick the one that fits
Each option has its own Band Together form. Band Together emails you a PayPal invoice before each due date — no separate PayPal login, and no cash or checks. Both options are on a 13-payment plan.
Full trip · with airfare$4,800
$4,750 paid in full by November 1, 2026. Group flight from RDU, hotel, tours, meals, freight and insurance. This is the only option for students.
Students & Chaperones sign up here On the ground only · adults$3,300
$3,250 paid in full by November 1, 2026. Same hotel, tours, meals and insurance — you book your own flights. Adults only, background check still required. Same deadlines, refund rules and PayPal invoices as the main trip.
On-the-ground travelers sign up hereSeparate form for adults who are booking their own flights.
Depart
Tuesday, December 28, 2027 — overnight flight from Raleigh–Durham (RDU)
Parade day
Saturday, January 1, 2028 — assembly at Berkeley Square, step off at noon
Return
Tuesday, January 4, 2028 — into RDU
Stay
Six nights, superior first-class hotel in central London
Price
$4,800 per traveler — or $4,750 paid in full by November 1, 2026 (saves $50)
Operator
Performance Travel Ltd. / Youth Music of the World
The dates are set by the parade and cannot be changed — please check them against your family's holiday plans before you commit. We fly from RDU rather than Wilmington because there is not enough available lift out of ILM to move about 200 people at once.
The Road to London
Every date that matters, in order, with how long you have left. Gold markers are hard deadlines.
Countdown to step off
Noon in London, Saturday January 1, 2028 — Berkeley Square assembly.
Next thing to act on
September 19, 2026
Adult background checks close. Complete both steps — chaperone interest form, then the district portal.
7 days away
September 19, 2026Deadlinein 7 days
Adult background checks close. Complete both steps — chaperone interest form, then the district portal.
October 1, 2026Deadlinein 19 days
First payment due with the signed Agreement & Signature Page. $300 full trip / $200 on the ground. $200 of it holds the spot and is never refundable.
November 1, 2026Deadlinein 50 days
Last day for the pay-in-full discount — $4,750 full trip, $3,250 on the ground.
February 1, 2027Good to knowin 142 days
Payments step up: $500 a month full trip, $350 on the ground, for February and March.
March 1, 2027Deadlinein 170 days
Registration closes. Last day to add anyone — student, chaperone or on-the-ground adult.
April 1, 2027Deadlinein 200 days
Refunds stop. Payments drop to $400 a month full trip, $275 on the ground, through September.
August 1, 2027Good to knowin 322 days
Trip cancellation insurance begins, covering up to $4,500. The four months before this are the uninsured window.
Spring–Fall 2027Good to knowin 353 days
Passports in hand, roommate requests lock in, and the UK travel authorization (ETA) reminder goes out.
October 1, 2027Deadlinein 384 days
Final scheduled payment — $200 full trip, $150 on the ground — settling whatever is left.
October 31, 2027Deadlinein 414 days
Everything must be paid off. This is the travel company's final deadline.
December 28, 2027Tripin 472 days
Departure — overnight flight from Raleigh–Durham (RDU).
January 1, 2028Tripin 476 days
Parade day. Assembly at Berkeley Square, step off at noon London time.
January 4, 2028Tripin 479 days
Return into RDU.
Who Can Come
Marching band enrollment in Fall 2027 is mandatory. Concert band alone does not qualify a student.
- Current 8th graders — eligible by enrolling in Fall 2027 marching band as freshmen.
- Current freshmen, sophomores and juniors — eligible by enrolling in both Spring 2027 concert band and Fall 2027 marching band.
- The Class of 2027 is not eligible — current seniors graduate in June 2027 and will not be enrolled for the fall 2027 season this trip is built around.
New to Topsail Band? If your 8th grader is joining us for the first time, welcome — please also complete the Band Together Parent Intake Form so we can get your family into our systems.
The Payment Plan
13 payments totalling $4,800. These amounts are a minimum, not a limit — you can pay ahead in any month or pay off early. The final October 2027 payment settles whatever is left. If you're going to miss a payment, call or email before the 1st.
| Due date | Payment | Balance left |
|---|
| October 1, 2026 | $300 | $4,500 |
| November 1, 2026 | $300 | $4,200 |
| December 1, 2026 | $300 | $3,900 |
| January 1, 2027 | $300 | $3,600 |
| February 1, 2027 | $500 | $3,100 |
| March 1, 2027 | $500 | $2,600 |
| April 1, 2027 | $400 | $2,200 |
| May 1, 2027 | $400 | $1,800 |
| June 1, 2027 | $400 | $1,400 |
| July 1, 2027 | $400 | $1,000 |
| August 1, 2027 | $400 | $600 |
| September 1, 2027 | $400 | $200 |
| October 1, 2027 | $200 | $0 |
Deadlines & Refunds
- September 19, 2026Adult background checks close — before any money is owed, so you know if you're selected first.
- October 1, 2026First payment due with the signed Agreement & Signature Page. $200 of it holds the spot and is never refundable.
- November 1, 2026Last day to take the pay-in-full option of $4,750 (saves $50).
- March 1, 2027Last day to add anyone — student, chaperone or on-the-ground adult. Registration closes.
- April 1, 2027Refunds stop. Through March 31 you can drop out and get everything back except the $200.
- August 1, 2027Trip cancellation insurance begins. It covers up to $4,500.
- October 31, 2027Everything must be paid off — the travel company's final deadline.
Please read this twice
There are four months — April 1 to August 1, 2027 — when your money is already non-refundable but the trip insurance has not started yet. If you have to drop out in those four months, the money is gone and the insurance will not cover it. Some families buy their own travel insurance to cover that window. The included policy covers up to $4,500, a little less than the $4,800 trip price.
What the Week Looks Like
A proposed day-by-day so you can picture the week. Everything here is proposed, not confirmed — the travel company and the London Parade authorities set the final schedule during 2027. The departure, parade day and return date are fixed; the days in between are not, so please do not book anything around a specific day on this list.
| Tue, Dec 28 | Depart RDU on an overnight flight to London. |
| Wed, Dec 29 | Arrive London, transfer to the hotel by coach. Check in, dinner at the hotel. |
| Thu, Dec 30 | Half-day guided tour of the West End and the City, plus a visit to the Churchill War Rooms. |
| Fri, Dec 31 | Three-quarter day at Hampton Court Palace, home of Henry VIII. Student New Year's Eve party at the hotel that night. |
| Sat, Jan 1 | PARADE DAY. Group photo, assembly at Berkeley Square, sack lunch. Step off at noon before half a million people, with street drill at the end of the route. |
| Sun, Jan 2 | Three-quarter day at Windsor Castle. Evening at a West End musical. |
| Mon, Jan 3 | Half-day tour of the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels. Final dinner in London. |
| Tue, Jan 4 | Return flight to RDU. |
What the Price Includes
- Round-trip airfare from RDU to London, including taxes, fuel surcharges and airline fees
- Six nights in a superior first-class hotel in central London
- Breakfast every morning and dinner every night — three at the hotel, three on a loaded card
- A card loaded with £85 for three dinners, which also works as an Oyster card on the Tube and buses
- Sack lunch on parade day
- Freight shipping of instruments, guard equipment and uniforms both directions
- Guided coach tours: the West End and the City, the Tower of London and Crown Jewels, Churchill's War Rooms, Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace
- A West End musical ticket — a show like Wicked or Les Misérables — with coach transfer
- Three self-guided audio walking tours to download
- A supervised New Year's Eve party for students at the hotel
- A commemorative 2027/28 London Parade medal and a digital group photograph
- Travel insurance through the Youth Music Performers Club
- A full-time resident tour assistant with the group all week
- The Topsail trip shirt, and all PayPal processing fees on your payments
What the Price Does Not Include
| Item | Estimated cost |
|---|
| Passport | Roughly $165 for a first adult passport, $135 for a child under 16. Renewals cost less. |
| UK travel authorization (ETA) | About $26 per person, children included. Required to board the flight. |
| Getting to and from RDU | Not included. Airport travel details will follow closer to departure. |
| Most lunches | Only parade-day lunch is provided. Budget for five lunches on your own. |
| Spending money | Souvenirs, snacks, and anything beyond the meals listed. |
| Grandstand tickets | About $115 per seat for family who want to watch from the stands. Optional. |
| Single room supplement | Add $840 for adults who prefer not to share a room. Optional, adults only. |
| Tour assistant gratuity | Customary at the end of the trip. Collected as a group. |
On-the-Ground Payment Plan
For adults booking their own flights — 13 official payments totalling $3,300. The same due dates, invoice reminders, deadlines and refund rules apply as the main trip; only the amounts differ.
| Due date | Payment | Balance left |
|---|
| October 1, 2026 | $200 | $3,100 |
| November 1, 2026 | $200 | $2,900 |
| December 1, 2026 | $200 | $2,700 |
| January 1, 2027 | $200 | $2,500 |
| February 1, 2027 | $350 | $2,150 |
| March 1, 2027 | $350 | $1,800 |
| April 1, 2027 | $275 | $1,525 |
| May 1, 2027 | $275 | $1,250 |
| June 1, 2027 | $275 | $975 |
| July 1, 2027 | $275 | $700 |
| August 1, 2027 | $275 | $425 |
| September 1, 2027 | $275 | $150 |
| October 1, 2027 | $150 | $0 |
Passports & UK Entry
Start your passport in September. Do not wait.
- Every traveler needs a valid passport — students and adults alike.
- It has lately taken four to six weeks, and summer and holidays are slower. Details at travel.state.gov.
- Most airlines require the passport to be valid six months past the return date — ours must be good through July 2028.
- Bring two color photocopies to Mr. Wentzek in person. Never email a picture of a passport.
UK travel authorization (ETA) — do not apply yet.
- Wait for our reminder in 2027. It is not a visa — it's an online approval linked to your passport.
- About £20 per person (roughly $26). Everyone needs one, including young children.
- Good for two years or until the passport expires. Get the passport first — a new passport cancels an ETA you already have.
- Apply only through the official UK ETA app or GOV.UK. Other sites charge far more.
Adults Traveling With Us
Adults are welcome and needed. Every adult who travels is a chaperone with an assigned small group of students unless they're joining purely as a spectator. Cost is the same as students — $4,800, or $4,750 paid in full, plus $840 for a room alone. Coming on the ground without the group flight is $3,300 (or $3,250 paid in full). You're with us, not in charge: you may walk with your child's chaperone group, but you cannot remove your child from it during the trip.
Every adult completes a two-step background check, and background checks close September 19, 2026 — before the October 1 payment deadline, so you'll know whether you're selected before you owe any money.
Rooms
- Most students share a twin or double, two to a room. Some students will be in a triple — the operator assigns that by property, not by request.
- Adults are guaranteed a twin or double, never a triple. European rooms run small.
- Students pick their own roommate. Rooms lock in on a date announced in spring 2027, and there's no switching after that.
- A Pender County Schools student may only room with another PCS student — no chaperones, no parents, no siblings, no exceptions.
London Planning & Fundraising Committee
We're forming a committee of parents to help organize fundraisers, sponsorships, and trip logistics. No experience needed — and it's separate from chaperoning, so you don't need to travel to serve. Because the Boosters are a 501(c)(3), fundraisers benefit the whole traveling program rather than any one student.
Committee Interest FormQuestions before you sign?
Jake Wentzek, Director of Bands · jake_wentzek@pender.k12.nc.us · 910-815-7024
Chandler Edwards, Assistant Director · chandler_edwards@pender.k12.nc.us · 910-520-1317
If money is what's stopping your student, come talk to the directors privately. They will do what they can, and it stays between you.