The 2018 National Memorial Day Parade will take place along Constitution Avenue on Monday, May 28. Country music star Trace Adkins will open the ceremony with a special performance at 1:30 PM at the National Archives at 7th St. & Constitution Ave., NW. The parade will start at 2:00 PM at the National Archives at 7th St., NW and proceed along Constitution past 17th St.
Celebrating its 13th year, the parade will feature musical performances, marching bands, celebrity supporters of our military, veterans, and more than 1,000 active duty personnel in what has become a Washington tradition and the largest Memorial Day event in the country. Grand Marshals of the 2018 National Memorial Day Parade are Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos (U.S. Army veteran), Spencer Stone (U.S. Air Force veteran) the three young Americans who thwarted a terrorist attack on a French train in 2015; portrayed in the recent film, The 15:17 to Paris. They will be joined by Gary Sinise, Joe Mantegna, Miss America 2018 Cara Mund, celebrity chef Robert Irvine, country artists Jerrod Niemann and Cassidy Daniels, and more.
The National Memorial Day Parade is a moving timeline of American military history, with tributes to those who have served and sacrificed from the American Revolution to the present day. It draws on the tradition of Memorial Day parades, going back to the beginning of the holiday just after the Civil War, to create a family friendly event aimed at calling attention to the true meaning of Memorial Day – honoring our fallen heroes.