As a tradition, the citizens of Chantilly enjoy watching their streets filled with marching band members in uniform as they wander down the small streets and visit local shops and restaurants. We met a resident of Chantilly that wanted to talk to my chaperone group and let them know how impressed he was that they fly from California to play in this parade. He said he loved marching bands and could hardly wait to hear us play. A very nice conversation with two of our french speaking students, Zack Johnson and Sean Smit. One of our students, Kristina, celebrated her birthday in Paris and our band sang to her before descending upon Chantilly. Happy Birthday Kristina! 
We had a very nice lunch in a cafe with several other Chaperone groups and feasted on sandwiches, french fries, bread, and cheeses. We rejoined the rest of the group at 1:30 pm to our Marching location. Our group did some standard warm-ups and then decided to rehearse a few pieces for our concert on the steps of the Trocadero the following day. (Nice section pictures posted) It was a very nice day, in the upper 40's and low 50's and partly cloudy all day.
The attendance of the parade was spectacular (hard to count) with thousands of people watching groups perform in the narrow, yet cozy, streets of Chantilly. The parade was approximately 1.5 miles long and took over 1 hour to complete due to performing groups stopping to play to the crowds. It was a very eclectic parade with bands, horses, cheerleaders, performing groups and several marching bands in costume added some extra flair to the event. Local TV stations were in the streets with the majority of the shops and cafes closed during the parade. I found a cafe at the end of the parade route and had a nice espresso with the owner. Very friendly and enjoyed the "noise" in the streets.
Our group performed well and departed Chantilly around 4:30 pm and arrived back at the hotel. Sophie, our tour resource person, provided us a CD of Disco music to get us in the mood for tonight event during our ride back to the hotel. We have a quick dinner at 6:00 pm with several groups in the hotel. Many ate quickly to return to their rooms to prepare for the New Year's Eve party. Some students chose to group together in several public areas of the hotel to play cards and chat.
The party was well attended by all the groups and the music selection was very wide. Some disco, some rock, etc... It was interesting to see our group run into the room when they heard music they liked to dance to. (See New Year's Eve Video 1) We celebrated the strike of Midnight with a countdown and party poppers. It was a long day and many of our students quickly returned to their rooms to get rested for next days marching and concert near the Eiffel Tower. Another, very successful day. Bed check was complete. Both parents and students will really sleep tonight!*** Please note, I updated the Chantilly Parade, New Year's Eve Video and Picture for your pleasure.
From all of the students and parents in Paris, "Happy New Year!"
Rob Smit
So many photos, that's Great!