The 76th Annual National Veterans Day Parade returns Saturday, Nov. 11 to Downtown Birmingham. This year’s parade will include a mixture of Veterans service organizations, members of the U.S. armed forces and Alabama military supporters, as well as local color guards, high school bands and drill teams. Miss Alabama, Brianna Burrell, and local Shriners will also participate.
“This is such a unique event for our city and for honoring the many men and women who have served and currently serve our country,” said Mark Ryan, president of the National Veterans Day Parade. “We invite individuals and families to join us downtown to help us celebrate, remember and pay homage to those who have given their all for the U.S. and its people.”
Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Melvin Morris will serve as Parade Marshall.
The parade will begin at 1p.m. and will follow a slightly altered route from previous years. The new parade route will begin on 18th Street by the Alabama Power building and end on 19th Street by City Hall, however the new route will wind through different historic Downtown Birmingham blocks.
The event will also be broadcast live starting at 1:30 p.m. via nationalveteransday.org for those who cannot physically attend. The 30-minute delay correlates with the parade reaching the viewing stand at Birmingham City Hall.
Birmingham’s Annual National Veterans Day Parade celebrates the national holiday officially signed into legislation by President Eisenhower in 1954 and is the longest-running parade of its kind in the country.
