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PORT NECHES — Fourteen high school bands from across the region are coming together Saturday for what could be considered a practice run for a major competition.

The PNG Marching Festival is set for Saturday at The Reservation.

Locally, PNG and Nederland bands will take part.

Alex Wells, PNG band director and Region X president, explained what the event is for.

“In sports terms, it’s like a scrimmage in a sense,” Wells said. “It’s important to see how the band will perform and we get critiqued.”

There will be a clinic where the judges provide feedback that can help in the upcoming University Interscholastic League Region X Marching Contest set for Oct. 16 at the stadium.

While no ratings are involved in Saturday’s festival, Wells said it would help them everyone ready for the actual contest.

Nederland High School band director Greg Rose said his students have been working hard to prepare for halftime performances, the marching festival and upcoming competitions, adding they are steadily improving and he is pleased with their progress.

What to expect

Fans can attend and watch the bands perform for free, and the concession stand on the home side will be open.

During the upcoming Oct. 16 event, the UIL charges a $5 entry fee, Wells said.

The bands will have a chance to show the musical and marching skills they have been working on for months.

There are three basic styles of a high school marching band. There is military style, which is the style Nederland band uses. There is corps style, which is what PNG performs, and there is a style called show marching, which is what Memorial High School and Beaumont United bands perform, Wells said.

Rose explained the military style of marching.

“The Nederland Band marches in a traditional military style, usually taking a 30-inch step and playing quickstep marches on the field at a tempo of about 120 steps per minute,” Rose said. “Consistent stride, proper alignment of ranks, diagonals, and files, and uniformity of horn carriage are all things that are worked on in marching practices, which take place after school. Music is memorized for the marching performances.”

Wells said PNG started hosting the marching festival around 2010 as a service to bands in the region.

The schedule:

PNG, Class 5A, 1 p.m.

Nederland, Class 5A, 1:30 p.m.

Deweyville, Class 2A, 2 p.m.

West Hardin, Class 2A, 2:30 p.m.

Orangefield, Class 4A, 3 p.m.

Dayton, Class 5A, 3:30 p.m.

Bridge City, Class 4A, 4 p.m.

Silsbee, Class 4A, 4:30 p.m.

Woodville, Class 3A, 5 p.m.

Hardin, Class 3A, 5:30 p.m.

Liberty, Class 4A, 6 p.m.

Livingston, Class 4A, 6:30 p.m.

Hargrave, Class 4A, 7 p.m.

Westbrook, Class 6A, 7:30 p.m.