Ray Talley stadium at Hanceville High School will be a busy place well into the evening Saturday, as marching bands from throughout North Alabama gather for the 27th annual Mud Creek Marching Festival.

An annual tradition for both local music lovers and former students who’ve gone on to pursue their own musical passions, this year’s Mud Creek festival brings 17 bands together for a full day of competition and camaraderie.

“It’s a very big day,” said Hanceville High School band director Jesse James. “We have a ton of people coming in from all over the state, and our campus will be packed all day.”

“We have bands coming in that range in size from 1A all the way to 5A, and from 22 people up to about 150. It’s something people really look forward to and it’s a really well-established event; a lot of people who are now band directors, like me, went to this contest back when they were in high school, and it’s something they continue to look forward to.”

As the signature fundraiser for Hanceville’s band programs each year, the festival pulls out all the stops, making sure guests don’t go hungry with fun festival foods like curly fries, snow cones, and all sort of food that makes people want to come out and just enjoy a nice fall day,” said James.

The fun begins at noon today when the first band takes the field, wrapping up after 7:30 p.m., when the Hanceville High School Band, as is the tradition, closes out the festival with an exhibition performance.

Admission to the festival is $6 for each adult; children ages five and under get in for free. For more information, visit mudcreekmarchingfest.weebly.com.