The 73rd Veteran’s Day Parade is virtual this year. Here’s how you can participate

This year, the 73rd National Veteran’s Day Event is going virtual—and you can participate! Send in your own video to the National Veteran’s Day Foundation wishing veterans a Happy Veteran’s Day, and you could be featured during the virtual event.

Email your submissions to Karen Day at karenday205@gmail.com by November 4th at 8PM to be included.

73rd Annual National Veteran’s Day Parade going virtual in 2020

For the first time in its seven-decade history, the 73rd Annual National Veteran’s Day Parade will be held virtually due to COVID-19. The longest-running event of its kind in the U.S., the parade is celebrated each year on November 11.

This year’s virtual event will begin Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 4:30PM and will include a mixture of live and recorded content ending with a live broadcast fireworks show.

“Due to safety concerns, we knew the parade could not happen in its traditional format. Despite this barrier, we wanted to continue to remember and honor our nation’s veterans while teaching others about their sacrifice, and this virtual event gives us the ability to do just that.

While we cannot be together physically to remember and honor the men and women who have sacrificed so much of themselves — many with their lives — to afford us our freedoms, we can continue to celebrate them uniquely and safely from our own homes.”

Mark Ryan, president of the National Veteran’s Day Parade

How to Send in Your Veteran’s Day Video

This year you can contribute to the oldest Veteran’s Day Parade in America by sending in your own video wishing veterans a Happy Veteran’s Day! You can dress up, hold fun props, wave, smile and shout to celebrate veterans in your video.

When shooting the video, make sure to follow these guidelines:

• Use landscape position (sideways) like a flatscreen TV
• Keep it at 20 seconds or less
• If possible, send it in .mp4 format
• Make sure to film in good lighting
• Film as close up as possible, filling the screen with whoever is in the video—don’t film from far away
• And don’t be afraid to get creative!

Once you film your video, you can email it to Karen Day at karenday205@gmail.com by November 4th at 8PM. Once they receive your video, they’ll shoot you a confirmation email. 

If you run into any issues sending your video, you can email Karen Day at the same address with your phone number for assistance. 

If you miss the deadline, you could still be featured on their Facebook page leading up to Veteran’s Day on November 11th.

Tune into the Virtual Event 

The event will be live-streamed online in the afternoon on November 11th, featuring a mixture of live and pre-recorded content including:

• Color guards + high school band performances
• Drill teams
• The 117th Air Refueling Wing
• Greetings + shoutouts from frequent participants in the parade
• Past parade footage with vintage aircrafts, floats, horses, Boy Scouts, the 40&8 train car, the Clydesdales, military vehicles + more
• And finally, a live broadcast of the fireworks show over Downtown + Southside Birmingham

For more information on this and past Veteran’s Day events, head to nationalveteransday.org.

Know of more ways to celebrate Veteran’s Day this year in Birmingham? Let us know on social at @BhamNow on Facebook and Instagram, or @Now_Bham on Twitter.