On Monday, May 26, the 20th Annual National Memorial Day parade will march down Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC, to honor the men and women who have fought and died while serving in the US military. The festivities—which include performances by military musical ensembles, and musicians such as Restless Road and Scotty Hasting (who is also a veteran)—begin at 1 PM, and the parade starts at 2. The parade is expected to last a little over two hours, beginning at Constitution Ave. and Seventh St., NW, and ending at 17th St., NW.
According to a press release on Accessnewswire, Anthony Anderson (of Black-ish fame) will return to host the parade for his sixth consecutive year, alongside Aisha Tyler (Criminal Minds: Evolution), making her Memorial Day Parade hosting debut. The broadcast will be available on ABC, CBS, NBC, CW, and Fox, as well as the American Veterans’ Center YouTube channel.
The parade—which is considered the largest Memorial Day event in the country—will have other celebrities in attendance. Actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise, veteran and celebrity chef Robert Irvine, and Abbie Stockard (Miss America 2025), will all make appearances. Gene Simmons, the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, will be joined by WWII hero Hal Urban, who helped free prisoners—among them, Simmons’smother—from Mauthausen concentration camp 80 years ago this month. The Grand Marshals of the parade will be Medal of Honor recipients Patrick Henry Brady, Edward C. Byers, Jr., Paris Davis, and Robert Ingram. They will be joined by about a dozen surviving WWII veterans, representing the more than 16 million who served and 400,000 who died in service during the conflict.
More than 10,000 participants and over 200,000 attendees are anticipated.
