I'm guessing that the one in the movie 'The Music Man' takes the
biscuit but what about for real?

Can John Philip Sousa or The Great Creatore or anyone else claim the title?

Hello PBP,

According to various reports, the Sydney Olympics featured "the
largest marching band ever assembled in history."

"...the Olympics 2000 band, made up of around 2,500 musicians drawn
from the participating nations, marches on to centrestage.
Which makes it the largest marching band ever assembled in history."
source:
Reuters, "G'Day, world! The Olympics is here!", hosted by rediff.com
http://www.rediff.com/sports/2000/sep/15open.htm

"We rocked Stadium Australia with our show, as the biggest marching
band ever to take the field, in the history of the world!"
source:
Barry Spanier, Artistic Director, Sydney 2000 Olympic Band, quoted on
this Japanese web site:
http://hirobrass.ld.infoseek.co.jp/sydney2000-4.htm

Additional sources:

"largest marching band ever assembled, 2,000 members"
source: London Free Press, September 16, 2000
http://www.canoe.ca/2000GamesColumnists/kernaghan_sep16.html

"I have now seen the world's largest marching band, 2,000 children and
2,500 adult performers, all of them led by a young girl in a flowered
dress and golden curls."
source: South Coast Today/Washington Post, Sept. 16, 2000
http://www.s-t.com/daily/09-00/09-16-00/c01sp083.htm

-------

search strategy:
"marching band ever"
"largest marching band", 2000 olympics

I hope this helps.

Wow!

Wasn't that an easy one ...

Many thanks!