Harvest of Harmony Pageant, Parade and Field Competition

Nebraska’s largest parade attracts more than 200 entries from a combination of high school bands and floats for a parade competition downtown and a field show competition at Grand Island Senior High School. The parade’s roots started back in 1938 when Chamber members decided to organize an event to promote goodwill among the area small towns. That first parade was a rousing success with 8 bands and 13 floats in which estimates of 10,000 people watched from the streets. Just as Harvest of Harmony was getting off the ground, World War II began and ceased the parade during 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1945, due to gas rationing. Once the war ended, Harvest of Harmony resumed in 1946 and added the ever popular queens’ pageant. Over the years, Harvest of Harmony has grown into one of Nebraska’s largest events, televised live on KOLN/KGIN TV. The culmination of the parade’s popularity was evident in 1996 as Harvest of Harmony broke an existing record and made its mark in the Guinness Book of Records as “highest number of bands marching in a parade”. The number – 130. As for those original 8 bands that began in 1938…they’ve been back each and every year.