Members of the public have been invited to vote for their favourite contestant who will make the shortlist for 35th America’s Cup official entertainers, The Band.

Nearly 50 entertainers were auditioned over the weekend as organisers look to finalise the line-up of group, which will perform at numerous events throughout the prestigious sporting event.

The auditions were open to those aged 16 and above. The panel of judges will consist of representatives from the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) and the ACBDA and will include The Band musical director Robert Edwards.

There will be 25 finalists in the categories of female singers, male singers, drummers, guitarists, bassists, keyboardists, percussionists and saxophonists.

The public can vote via a closed ballot on www.acbda.bm. The final decision on The Band make-up will be made on February 2.

To vote, people can visit www.acbda.bm/the-band-finalists where there is a video of each finalist. They can click the voting tab to vote for their favourite contestant in each category by January 31.

Sancha Durham, ACEA event and business solutions support coordinator, said: “Firstly, we would like to thank all the performers who came out to audition for The Band. We were amazed at the wealth of talent in Bermuda from singers to drummers to guitarists. The auditions really opened our eyes as to the talent available on island. We look forward to seeing who the public votes for to be shortlisted for the final round of The Band.”

The group will play at Dock-Out shows, in the America’s Cup Village and at America’s Cup parties. They will have to learn each America’s Cup sailing team’s song as well as playing soca, reggae, top 40 and traditional Bermuda-themed songs.

The America’s Cup is also calling for all existing local bands, solo musicians and entertainers of all kinds to register to play in the America’s Cup Village during the five weeks of the events in May and June.

The Band will be supplementing the local talent programme. To register for the programme, entertainers can e-mail talent@americascup.com by January 31.

For more information, visit www.acbda.bm.