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Veterans Day 2026: Parades and Events by Date

Written by the USA Fest Bot team with AI help. · Published · Updated

A row of American flags on tall poles waving against a clear blue sky
American flags flying in a row (not one of the events below). Photo: Trendscope, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, cropped.

Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and many towns hold their parade on the weekend before or after. This guide covers 55 public parades, ceremonies and other events honoring veterans from November 1 to 16, in 29 states and Washington, D.C., grouped by date, with links to each listing and the event’s own website.

The busiest days are Saturday, November 7, with twenty events, and Veterans Day itself, with nineteen. USA Fest Bot doesn’t sell tickets.

Dates can change, so check the event’s website before you go.

November 1–6: early parades and Veterans Day week

Delaware, Ohio, starts early with its parade on Sunday, November 1. Colonial Williamsburg and the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City both run Veterans Day programs from Friday, November 6, through the 11th.

Saturday, November 7

The Saturday before Veterans Day is the biggest day on our list, with twenty events in fourteen states. Texas has four, and in Providence, WaterFire lights its braziers that evening for its Salute to Veterans.

Sunday, November 8

Sunday brings the National Veterans Parade in Washington, D.C., with a 5K race the same day, plus parades in Philadelphia, Findlay, Ohio, and Enfield, Connecticut, and a car and truck show in Kissimmee, Florida.

Wednesday, November 11: Veterans Day

On the holiday itself, nineteen events in fifteen states include the New York City parade on Fifth Avenue and parades in Phoenix, San Diego and Las Vegas. Several are ceremonies, such as those in Little Rock and Adel, Iowa.

November 13–15: the weekend after

Zachary, Louisiana, holds its parade on Friday, November 13, the day a traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial opens there through Monday. Denver, Boise and two other towns follow on Saturday, and Lincoln, Nebraska, closes the list on Sunday.

Small American flags standing along the base of the black granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall
Small flags at the base of the permanent Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. (not an event in this guide). Photo: Austin Kirk, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped.

Why November 11

Veterans Day began as Armistice Day. The fighting in World War I stopped at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, when the armistice took effect. Congress made Armistice Day a national holiday in 1938 and renamed it Veterans Day in 1954 to honor veterans of all wars. Unlike Memorial Day, which remembers those who died in service, Veterans Day thanks everyone who has served, and it stays on November 11 whatever the weekday. In Kansas City, the National WWI Museum and Memorial sets up research stations where visitors can look for a relative who served in that war.

Black-and-white photo of a large crowd filling a small-town street on Armistice Day 1918, with an American flag hanging at right
A crowd gathers in Oxford, Ohio, on Armistice Day, November 11, 1918. Photo: Frank R. Snyder, Miami University Libraries, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, cropped.

More than parades

Of the 55 listings, 41 are parades or marches. The rest offer other ways to mark the day.

  • Ceremonies. Arkansas holds its state ceremony in the Capitol rotunda in Little Rock, Iowa holds one at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Adel, and the Montana Veterans Memorial Association hosts one in Great Falls.
  • Fire and music. At WaterFire in Providence, 150 veterans carry torches into WaterPlace Park for the lighting. The Brattleboro American Legion Band plays a concert in Vermont.
  • History. Colonial Williamsburg holds a procession with its Fifes & Drums, and the traveling wall in Zachary carries more than 58,000 names.
  • Car shows. Kissimmee and Williston, Florida, and Clovis, California, hold car shows honoring veterans, and a show in Cedar Park, Texas, supports a center for veterans and first responders.
  • Runs. The National Veterans Parade 5K runs along the National Mall, and Denver adds a 5K, a 10K and a ruck to its parade.

Some of the biggest and oldest parades

The New York City Veterans Day Parade is billed as the largest in the country, with more than 280 marching units. Pittsburgh’s parade has stepped off since 1919, Auburn, Washington, has held its parade since 1965, and the Phoenix parade, started in 1997, draws more than 45,000 spectators. Delaware, Ohio, counts more than 1,600 participants. Smaller towns add their own touches: in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, veterans ride up Beechwood Road to be greeted by students, and in Bowling Green, student essay winners ride in the parade.

Before you go: a short checklist

  • Open the event’s website the week you go. Organizers post start times, routes and changes there.
  • Check the weekday. Veterans Day is a Wednesday this year, so “Veterans Day” and “Veterans Day weekend” events can be days apart.
  • Dress for November. Several parades here, including Pittsburgh’s, go on rain or shine.
  • Add it to your calendar. Every listing page has an “Add to calendar (.ics)” link.

Find more events near you

See parades, which you can filter by state or ZIP code. Our Veterans Day events page has the same filters and is in season from October 20 to November 12. Turkey trots are on Thanksgiving events, and benefit runs are on charity events. To browse by state, start at all states. Missing an event? Submit a listing.

Quick answers

When is Veterans Day 2026?

Wednesday, November 11, 2026.

Why are so many parades on November 7 or 8?

Veterans Day is midweek this year, and many cities hold their parade on the weekend before. Others, like New York City, march on November 11.

Can these dates change?

The dates in this guide match each event’s listing page on USA Fest Bot. Dates can change, so check the event’s website before you go.

Is an event I know missing?

It may not have posted its 2026 date yet. You can submit a listing with a link to its website.

USA Fest Bot is not affiliated with any event in this guide and does not sell tickets. Found a date that has changed? Send a correction.