Season Timeline
Login to the WGI Director’s Dashboard and confirm access to your group. To create a new account or group, or to edit your group’s Primary, Secondary, or Financial contacts, follow these instructions.
Navigate to your personal profile and update your contact information, mailing address, and email address.
Next, click on “My Groups,” then select your group to update the following:
- Scholastic Groups: Band Director Name and Email Address
- Independent Groups: Independent Management Contact Name and Email Address
WGI Event Registration takes place in the Director’s Dashboard. For this season’s registration timeline and additional details, visit wgi.org/eventregistration.
WGI requires that registered groups complete a series of requirements in order to compete.
- Adult supervisor requirements must be completed by each adult supervisor prior to working with performers.
- Group requirement due dates vary depending on the specific requirement.
For more information, visit wgi.org/requirements.
- Draft schedules and show details are released by end of day on Friday. Rounds and seeding information for regionals can be found in each division’s rulebook (“Rounds and Seeding for Performance Order at Regionals”)
- Any schedule adjustments (with the exception of reclassified groups) will be within a 60-minute window of your draft schedule performance time.
- Verify that you have CompetitionSuite Access – look for invitation from CompetitionSuite sent to the email associated with your WGI Dashboard login. Update your phone number in your CompetitionSuite profile, and add any staff members who should have access to judge commentary.
- Critique:
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- Color Guard Only: If critique is offered at the event, Critique Sign Up will available in CompetitionSuite. Sign up closes 2 weeks before each event.
- Percussion & Winds Only: When time allows, critique is offered at Percussion and Winds events. Critique start time will be listed on the final schedule; interested groups should report at the start of critique to be called in performance order.
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- Site maps & contest info packet are published in the Director’s Dashboard – for security purposes, internal maps of facilities are not published for the public
- Spectator map & general information will be available on event page at WGI.org
- Verify that your staff has access to the group CompetitionSuite. Add support staff, chaperones, or team leadership who should receive important show day messages and set their role as “Event Message Only.”
- The deadline to update spiel sheet information in CompetitionSuite is Wednesday prior to the event at 3 AM EST. Groups who do not complete their spiel sheet info will only have the group name and city/state announced.
- Color Guard Only: The deadline to upload music (color guard only) is Wednesday prior to the event. Uploads lock overnight at 3 AM EST. Color guards who do not upload their soundtrack by that time should plan to use their own device.
- Final schedules are released by end of day the Thursday before the event. There will be no changes to the final schedule.
- Review your Contest Info Packet to verify logistical details, event flow, and competition area timeline. Pay careful attention to the Regional Reminders.
- Upon arrival, the group director or a designated representative should report to Group Check In to receive Participant Wristbands. For additional information, see Participant Wristbands in the FAQ below.
- WGI recommends that all color guard groups complete a sound check, available one hour prior to the start of the contest and during breaks at the discretion of the Contest Administrator.
- All scores will be published on WGI.org. Prelims scores may be held for up to two rounds of competition.
- All finals schedules are updated throughout the day as individual class prelims conclude.
- Finals awards retreat is captains only. Captains should meet in the equipment warm-up location immediately following the last group’s performance.
World Championships
Practice time is reserved in advance of your arrival at Championships. Groups attending World Championships will receive information about booking practice time during Championships week.
Groups can buy, sell, and trade practice time during World Championships using wgi-listings.org.
Groups attending World Championships will receive information about how to purchase backside seats for World Class finals in February
Beginning with the 2027 WGI World Championships, all groups wishing to participate and needing to secure overnight hotel accommodations must utilize the official WGI Housing Service. Groups that do not comply with this requirement will not be permitted to compete in the World Championships. For more information regarding the policy, visit the Housing Policy FAQ page.
Group directors, or a designated representative, must check in to verify marching members and receive participant wristbands. Groups may check in early on Wednesday may at UD Headquarters during operating hours. Color Guard and Percussion groups may check in at any site on the prelims day. Winds groups may check in at UD Headquarters any time during operating hours the week of their event, or at their site on prelims day.
Check-in will begin 90 minutes before the first performance at each site and conclude 30 minutes before the last group performance time.
FAQ
Generally, for a one day regional event, prelims begin approximately 9 AM and finals begin between 5 PM and 7 PM, with retreat beginning around 10 PM when possible. For a two day regional event, prelims begin on Saturday at approximately 10 AM and finals begin on Sunday at approximately 9 AM. When possible, Sunday retreats begin around 3 PM.
The draft schedule for each event is released 4 weeks prior, and the final schedule is released the week of the event.
Spectator information, including pricing, maps, and bag policy (if applicable) can be found on the individual event pages at WGI.org.
For each registered event, groups will receive participant wristbands for the number of marching members plus ten extras, two of which will provide front-side seating. If a PLUS Pass was purchased for the event, the group will receive an additional 7 wristbands.
- Participant wristbands should be distributed first to performing members. The remainder can be used at the discretion of the director for staff, chaperones, volunteers, bus drivers, interpreters, floor crew, or anyone else traveling with the group.
- Participant wristbands allow for entry to prelims and finals for that event – please remind your group NOT to remove theirs until the event has concluded.
- Wristbands MUST be visible on the wrist or ankle to gain entrance to the event, and should be worn snugly to avoid loss and prevent interference with equipment. If a wristband breaks or is damaged, directors should bring the damaged wristband to check-in to obtain a replacement.
- There are no director/instructor badges at WGI Events. If the number of wristbands your group needs exceeds the amount provided, spectator admission must be purchased for entry.
Groups who register for an event after it has reached capacity will be placed on the waitlist. If a registered group withdraws from the event prior to the entry deadline, the next group on the waitlist will be added to the schedule.
Waitlists for each event are dissolved after the entry deadline has passed.
Any registered group may withdraw from an event prior to the entry deadline date with no penalty. Groups who withdraw after the deadline date or fail to appear will be assessed a penalty of $200 for Regionals and $500 for World Championships.
Any registered group may transfer to another open Regional for a fee. The group’s postmark date will change to the date of transfer.
To transfer or withdraw, complete the Transfer & Withdraw Form (located in the Director’s Dashboard) prior to the registration deadline date to avoid penalty. No verbal changes to registrations will be accepted.
