The Roosevelt High School band will celebrate the new year about half a day ahead of their family and friends in Hawai'i on Jan. 1 as they march in the 22nd anniversary of the New Year's Day Parade in London.

As Big Ben strikes noon on New Year's Day, the 70-member "Rough Rider" Marching Band will set off with 10,000 other performers from 20 countries down Parliament Street, past the Houses of Parliament.

More than half a million spectators are expected to crowd the two-mile route, which passes by some of London's most famous sights including Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus. The band also will perform at St. John Smith Square in late December as part of the "Music for London" concert series.

Drum major Junior Imai said the band is a little nervous, but excited about the upcoming trip to London and Paris.

"We're looking for a new experience, to see different cultures," Imai said. "Everybody's excited about seeing the Eiffel Tower."

For most of the students, it will be their first time traveling outside the country and for many, it will be their first time traveling beyond California. Of all the groups participating in the parade, Roosevelt will have to travel the longest distance.

Groups must be invited to participate in the New Year's Day Parade, and receiving an invitation is considered an honor among marching bands in the United States.

The trip also will be one of the most expensive ones the band has ever taken, said band director Gregg Abe.

Since learning in March that they would go to London, students have been furiously fundraising with car washes and recycling events to help their families with the $3,000-per-student price tag.

Many even took part-time jobs. Imai worked during the summer at the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to help pay for the trip.

Abe said this is one of the hardest-working bands he's seen in his 21 years as director.

"They had to budget their time and rearrange their schedules so they could be at the rehearsals," he said.

This is not the first time Roosevelt has gone to Europe. The band has also been to Japan six times in the past 10 years. They were most recently invited to play in the Midosuji Parade in Osaka in 2005 and in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in 2003.

One of the challenges for the students in London will be the below-freezing temperatures. Abe has sought advice from band directors in the Midwest about how to keep the students warm during the performance and how to tune the instruments, which can be affected by the cold.

"There's a lot of warm clothing we had to purchase," said junior Kelsie Sugahara, who plays the trombone. "It's going to be around 20 or 30 degrees, so it's going to be quite a change."

"I don't think (the students) realize how cold it's going to be there," Abe said. "They can't even stand the air conditioning in our band room, so I'm not sure how they're going to prepare."

A global television audience of more than 200 million tuned in to this year's New Year's Parade. Television stations in Hawai'i will have access to live satellite footage of the parade.

Reach Kim Fassler at fassler@honoluluadvertiser.com or 954-0664.