Music is our life. Sharing our love for music is the reason we started Heritage Festivals 30 years ago, and enriching the lives of students through music remains at the heart of everything we do. At Heritage Festivals, we take pride in providing performance opportunities that help foster a lifetime of music appreciation.

For 30 years, Heritage Festivals has listened to our music educator partners and responded to their needs by creating additional unique performing opportunities such as Bowl Games of America, Children’s Choir Festivals, Festival at Carnegie, Festivals of Gold, and international performance festivals. To learn more about our innovations and growth through the years, check out the Heritage Festivals Timeline.

Heritage Festivals is unique because every team member shares an unparalleled commitment to learning beyond classroom walls and providing a safe and secure travel experience. Our passionate and professional team of travel experts will treat you as a member of the family.

Heritage Festivals’ first priority is always the safety of our program participants. Our commitment to providing the most safe and secure travel experiences possible will give you peace of mind.

• Heritage Festivals is part of WorldStrides, the most trusted provider of student educational travel. For more than 40 years, WorldStrides has safely brought more than 3 million students on adventures in travel and learning.

• Your investment is covered by Heritage Festivals' membership in USTOA, a $1 million travelers’ assistance program.

• You are protected by the most comprehensive general and professional liability insurance policy in the industry.

• You and your students are covered by extensive accident and illness insurance coverage.

Our Heritage Festivals team is at the core of our success. Our world-class customer satisfaction scores are a testament to the quality of our passionate and professional staff. Every year directors like you consistently rate their Heritage Festivals team at the highest levels. You take care of the music, and we'll take care of the rest.

• A knowledgeable and friendly Festival Selection Advisor is your first point of contact, helping you select the ideal performance opportunity and destination for your group. This person remains your primary contact at Heritage Festivals every year, and directs you to different in-house specialists that help you with different aspects of your festival experience.

• A helpful Destination Specialist focuses on the logistical details of your festival experience - from making hotel reservations to arranging additonal activities - so you are free to concentrate on your group's performance.

• A member of Heritage Festivals' in-house air department assists you in securing reservations for your group's air needs. This Air Transportation Specialist works closely with your Destination Specialist to ensure that all aspects of your itinerary flow properly.
  

• Once your festival day arrives, a courteous Host Festival Director welcomes you to the event. This person is also available in the months preceding the festival to answer any questions you may have regarding your festival, equipment needs, or performance schedule.
  
  
• The professionals you interact with at Heritage Festivals are only part of a larger team that works behind the scenes to support you and your group. Our dedication means that you will never feel alone or overwhelmed throughout the planning, promoting, traveling, and performing processes.
  

Each Heritage festival provides unparalleled educational opportunities for you and your students. Heritage Festivals is accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, which means that you are traveling with a recognized educational travel school. As an accredited travel study school, Heritage Festivals is the first and only festival provider to offer students free academic credit. Additionally, directors earn free professional development points for traveling. We also offer traveling directors the opportunity to earn graduate credit.

Our festivals include adjudicators who are among the very best music educators in the country, ensuring that your students have a superior educational experience. Our talented adjudicators include Donald Brinegar, Jennifer Judkins, Stan Michalski, and Patrick Patton, to name a few. These experienced and insightful music professionals provide taped and written notes during your group's performance, offering honest and supportive comments. During our mini-clinics, our adjudicators work with your group and give positive and instructive feedback to help improve your group’s performance. Every festival meets the same adjudication standards, so you can use your scores year after year as a barometer for the growth of your program:

• Three judges for instrumental groups and three judges for choral groups – your students will always be evaluated by a professional in your field
  
  
• On-stage mini-clinic after your performance – your group gets immediate feedback and direction while the performance is still fresh in your minds
  
  
• Adjudicators wear microphones during the mini-clinic – your group receives comments that are honest and educational as well as constructive and supportive as the audience listens
  
  
• We support you as a director – adjudicators make sure parents and administrators are made aware of your hard work with the students
  
  
• Classification levels and adjudication types for every group level – even beginning groups have a place at a Heritage festival

Professional Associations and Memberships
Heritage Festivals maintains the following professional and academic partnerships to ensure a tradition of quality in both the music education and travel industries: