Birmingham’s national Veterans Day Parade returns downtown on Thursday, Nov. 11

Birmingham sure is proud of its veterans. So much so, our city was the first to celebrate Veterans Day. Come out to the 74th annual Veterans Day Parade to honor our local veterans on Thursday, November 11.

Come out to the National Veterans Day Parade

After a few years at Railroad Park due to I-20/59 construction and a virtual parade due to COVID-19, this year’s Veterans Day Parade is back at its original route through downtown Birmingham. The Birmingham nonprofit National Veterans Day Foundation is working hard to host the annual parade. It’s also the nation’s largest Veterans Day parade, so get ready to come out!

• When: Thursday, November 11 | 1:30-4:30PM
• Where: Downtown Birmingham in the Central Business District

With usually around 80,000 people at the Veterans Day parade, this means there’s a lot of bells and whistles. Also, with big names like Charles Lindbergh and Neil Armstrong attending the parade in the past, you know it is an event you can’t miss. According to Homewood Star, look out for:

• Armed personnel carriers
• Local high school and college marching bands
• Motorcycles
• Trucks

You can celebrate our veterans leading up to the parade, too. Don’t miss the National Veterans Day Foundation’s National Veterans Award Dinner on Wednesday, November 10. This dinner will honor veterans who have helped fight against COVID-19.

74 years of honoring veterans in Birmingham

Since 1947, The Magic City has been the biggest supporter of veterans on Veterans Day. According to Bham Wiki, Magic City native and World War II veteran Raymond Weeks wanted to honor military veterans. Not just for the ultimate sacrifice, but also the daily and big things veterans sacrifice in order to serve. So, he created the first Veterans Day parade right here in Birmingham, and President Eisenhower made it a national holiday.

Do you know why Weeks chose November 11 for Veterans Day? On November 11, 1918, the Armistice was signed to end World War I. It’s a day of great significance for veterans.

Since the Bham veteran founded Veterans Day, the city continues to make honoring veterans a priority. The annual parade and dinner are just a couple of ways the city can give back to those who have given us so much.

Are you planning to go to the parade? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know!