Carnival, Houston radio station stage 'Battle of the Bands'

For the next three weeks, high school marching bands in the greater Houston area are invited to show their school spirit and musical talent in a video performance of their school’s fight song, alma mater or an original piece of music. Contest entry form and details are at www.khou.com/features. The deadline for entry is 5 p.m. CDT Sept. 28.

Carnival will select five finalists based on sound, musical ability and style.

Beginning Oct. 13, fans can go to the KHOU 11 Facebook page and vote for their favorite band of the finalists, up to one time per day through Oct. 22. Viewers can tune into KHOU 11 'News in the Morning' the week of Oct. 27 to learn which local band is the grand prize winner. The four additional band finalists will each receive a $1,000 cash prize from Carnival.

Houston is the line's No. 1 source market for cruises from Galveston, which currently carry more than 475,000 passengers a year, according to Jim Berra, chief marketing officer. With the addition of a third year-round ship in 2015, that number is expected to increase to more than 600,000, making Galveston Carnival's second largest homeport.