Heartland Battle of the Bands

February 21st 2026

Aberdeen Civic Theatre, 212 2nd Ave

Apply now for the 1st annual Heartland Battle of the Bands

Battle of the Bands Application

This sure to be epic Battle will be held February 21st, 2026 at the Aberdeen Civic Theatre in Aberdeen, SD. Open to bands willing to travel from all areas of our beautiful Heartland.

The application deadline is January 16th. Bands will be notified of their acceptance by January 30th.

The competition registration fee is $50. The competition is open to all ages and levels of entertainers. Registration fee will be collected by the Aberdeen Area Arts Council once bands have been selected.

All acts shall be suitable for “family entertainment”. Acts containing vulgar components will be disqualified and removed from the stage.

Judges’ decisions are based on: stage presence, appearance, quality of performance, talent, choice of selection, and entertainment value.

Judges’ decisions are final.

Each act shall be allowed up to 10 minutes of performance time. Acts running longer than 10 minutes shall receive a deduction of points by the judges.

Acts may be individual, duet or a group. Anticipation of the size of the stage (approximate 30’ by 18’) should be considered when composing a group act.

All finalists shall use the sound system provided for the venue.

All acts will be pre-screened and finalists must perform original music (no covers allowed).

 

Plan for a full day experience! All selected bands will partake in a morning clinic with clinicians specializing in multiple musical areas. The afternoon will offer the opportunity for one on one lesson time with the clinicians, as will as stage rehearsal time for your full band.

Times and Clinicians to be announced!

 

Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 bands – More information will be released shortly!

Prizes will include but not be limited to: studio recording time, local stage performance time, brand/merch design & planning, and more yet to come! The details will continue to ‘rock’ and unroll between now and the end of the year, stay tuned and apply early. This will be an opportunity you will not want to miss!

 

This event is Sponsored, Created, and Hosted by The Aberdeen Area Arts Council and Pauer Sound, LLC with support from The Swag Shoppe.