For yet another year, London, England was home to the largest and, arguably, most spectacular New Year’s Day parade in the world.

Hundreds of musicians participated in the parade, which was observed by roughly half a million people on the streets of London, as well as millions of worldwide television viewers. 

Many of the musicians traveled thousands of miles to participate in one of the most energetic and entertaining events of the year, which also happens to be supported by Queen Elizabeth II herself.

Among the musicians who traveled long distances were 15 U.S. high school and university marching bands that had been selected by the parade’s committee to participate.

For each band member, it was not only a dream come true and an honor to be chosen for such a prestigious event, it was also a once in a lifetime opportunity to perform in front of millions of people in a parade that was themed around Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

There was only one issue. How could each of the bands possibly transport their instruments and equipment, some of which weighed 50 pounds or more, halfway around the world in time for the parade festivities?

Luckily, the bands were offered the support they so dearly needed when DHL http://www.dhl.com offered to transfer the instruments and equipment from the participating schools, located in 13 states, to the UK’s capital city—and back.

The task was anything but easy.

First, DHL had to travel to multiple cities throughout the nation and load each of the instruments—which ranged from tubas and drums to saxophones and trombones—onto the company’s own aircraft. The instruments and equipment were then flown to New York City’s JFK Airport.

From there, more than 1,000 instruments and pieces of equipment were flown over 3,000 miles until they finally reached their destination. Upon arrival, DHL provided Customs brokerage services as well as warehousing for the instruments until they were reclaimed by their respective owners for the New Year’s Day celebration.

Afterwards, DHL transported each instrument back to the U.S., in much the same manner as they had been shipped to London just a few days before.

“When managing these unique projects, our international specialists are given an opportunity to show their expertise in operations and service,” says Terry Carter, head of operations at DHL Express U.S. “The 2012 London New Year’s Day Parade went off without a hitch, and I am very proud of our DHL team for ensuring every aspect of this move was orchestrated to perfection.”

By utilizing well-coordinated handling procedures and an array of trucks and airline carriers, DHL helped dozens of U.S. high school and university students experience a true gem of an event—and a once in a lifetime opportunity. wt

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