The Philadelphia Veterans Parade, a non-profit which hosts an annual parade honoring the sacrifices of our Veterans in the tri-state region, is proud to announce that the 5th Annual Philadelphia Veterans Parade will take place on Sunday, November 3rd at 12 PM. With more than 150 organizations involving over 7,000 participants and 21 Veteran Service Organizations, the #PhillyVeteransParade will be a celebration to remember.

The parade route begins at Juniper and Market Streets with a brigade of over 250 motorcyclists and continues heading east on Market Street and concluding at North 5th Street where the Veterans Festival will take place. Simultaneous to the parade’s kickoff, a paratrooper will make a dramatic coordinated jump and descend onto the Independence Mall landing approximately at 12:30 PM.

The Veterans Festival takes place during the parade on Market Street between 3rd and 5th Streets continues until 4 PM. Vet Fest is a fun and family-friendly atmosphere where veterans and family members can gain access to resources ranging from job recruitment to healthcare benefits and service providers, to educational opportunities, financial assistance and workshops. VSO’s participating in the Vet Fest include: Salvation of Sorrows, American Red Cross, Team RWB, Veterans Multi-Service Center and Main Line Health.

“The parade isn’t just about one day a year, it’s about helping veterans and raising awareness of issues our veterans face 365 days of the year,” says Anthony Murphy, President of Philadelphia Veterans Parade. “We’re grateful to our sponsors and partners who make it possible to celebrate veterans in such an extraordinary way.”

In addition to the celebration, veterans will be honored with a wreath-laying ceremony, a letter-writing and hand-painted flags station to send to active-duty service members, and a tree donation and planting from the Primex Garden Center.

Entertainment at Vet Fest includes live music from Minutes to Midnight, Lucky Leo and Dan Stonerook. Tasty pay-as-you-go bites and brews will be offered with a beer garden by Philadelphia Brewing Company, and food trucks from P.J. Whelihan’s, Jeremiah’s Custom Cuisine, Dom’s Dogs, Grilly Cheese, Deke’s BBQ andTuck-ins. In addition to the festivities, the Phillie Phanatic will also make a guest appearance to meet with veterans and their families to join in on the fun and pose for photo opportunities. Family-friendly activities include face painting, a rock-climbing wall, Giant Connect 4, a two-minute football drill, stilt walkers and more. Also, Eagles fans—don’t fret, the Vet Fest will have a large projector screen to play the Eagles vs. Bears game at 1 PM.

Sponsors of the 5th Annual Philadelphia Veterans Parade include Comcast, Hands from the Heart, Wells Fargo, KPMG, AARP, PECO, Herbology, Independence Blue Cross, Council for Relationships, Humana, Keystone Shops, Sunbelt Rentals, Vynamic and The Philadelphia Business Journal.