Honda Battle of the Bands going on hiatus

The Honda Battle of The Bands won’t be held in Atlanta or anywhere else for that matter, in 2019.

American Honda Motor Co., announced on Friday evening that it will be taking a hiatus in 2019 and return in 2020. The announcement cites Atlanta’s hosting of the upcoming Super Bowl as its reason.
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Here is the release, below, in its entirety:

We are announcing today that Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB) will take a hiatus for 2019 and return in 2020. Honda congratulates Atlanta–HBOB’s home since the program’s inception–on being selected as the host city for Super Bowl LIII. Due to the timing of and preparation required for the big game, we are unable to hold HBOB in Atlanta next year.

Since 2003, HBOB has provided top marching bands from America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) an opportunity to deliver dynamic performances on a national stage. While the HBOB Invitational Showcase will be postponed until 2020, Honda remains steadfast in our commitment to the HBCU community. We will continue our HBOB grant program in 2019 to support HBCU music education programs and will share details in the coming months. We will also continue to recognize an extraordinary individual making a positive impact in the HBCU community with our annual Power of Dreams Award.

Honda believes that HBCUs play a unique and critical role in providing higher education and opportunities for advancement to the African American community. Through initiatives like HBOB and Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC), we have been able to reach more than 170,000 students and award over $12 million in grants to HBCUs since 1989. These initiatives have also enabled us to provide an unforgettable experience and fantastic chance for students to create memories that will last a lifetime, including meeting and networking with their peers from different schools.

We look forward to continuing our relationship with the schools, band directors and student musicians, and we encourage fans to follow our journey on our social channels.

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