Air Force Band kicks off holiday season with museum flash mob

The Air Force Band this week continued its holiday tradition of surprise cheer with its annual flash mob in the nation's capital.

Members of the band emerged from the crowd of visitors at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., one by one until 125 musicians filled the atrium.

There were five stages, a chorus from the Singing Sergeants, instrumentalists from the Concert Band, and, for the first time, a choir of handbells.

The band performed two Christmas Carols, “Patapan” and “Ding Dong Merrily on High” during its fourth annual flash mob. The band started the tradition in 2013 at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia, with the video racking up almost 3 million views on YouTube. This year’s audience included veterans from the Armed Forces Retirement Home in D.C.


Check out the band's video to get pumped for the holidays:

The Air Force Band this week continued its holiday tradition of surprise cheer with its annual flash mob in the nation's capital.




Members of the band emerged from the crowd of visitors at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., one by one until 125 musicians filled the atrium.




There were five stages, a chorus from the Singing Sergeants, instrumentalists from the Concert Band, and, for the first time, a choir of handbells.




The band performed two Christmas Carols, “Patapan” and “Ding Dong Merrily on High” during its fourth annual flash mob. The band started the tradition in 2013 at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia, with the video racking up almost 3 million views on YouTube. This year’s audience included veterans from the Armed Forces Retirement Home in D.C.




Check out the band's video to get pumped for the holidays: