The 61st Auburn Veterans Parade steps off Saturday, November 7, at 11 a.m. It heads west on Main Street from E Street to A Street, and the City expects it to wrap up between 1:30 and 2 p.m. The parade is only a short stretch of the day. On the City of Auburn's event page, activities run from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and are spread across at least five addresses. Some downtown streets close at 5:30 a.m., and some stay closed until 11 p.m.
Whether you're heading downtown to watch or just driving through, the schedule that matters is the longer one.
Auburn has held this parade since 1965. The City says it has grown into one of the largest parades of its kind in the country, and that the Veterans Day National Committee and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs named Auburn a Regional Site for the 2026 Veterans Day celebration. According to the City, the parade typically has more than 120 units and nearly 4,000 participants, including more than 10 marching bands, military vehicles, veterans' units and honor guards.
Saturday at a glance
| Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 5:30 a.m. | Earliest street closures begin | Downtown grid |
| 7 to 9 a.m. | Community Breakfast, $12 | Auburn Senior Activity Center, 808 Ninth Street SE |
| 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Red White & Brew coffee truck | Main Street near parade check-in |
| 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | City Hall restrooms open to the public | City Hall |
| 9:45 to 10:15 a.m. | Remembrance Ceremony and Lighting of the Flame | Veterans Memorial Park, 411 E Street NE |
| 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Static Display with food vendors | South Division Street |
| 10:30 a.m. | Through traffic shut out, Metro buses included | Parade route |
| 11 a.m. | Parade begins | E Street and Main |
| Noon to 5 p.m. | VFW Post 1741 Open House, veterans and active duty only | 130 W Main Street |
| 1:30 p.m. | Auburn Noon Lions Veterans Luncheon | Merrill Gardens of Auburn, 18 First Street SE |
| Until 11 p.m. | Latest street closures lift | Downtown grid |
7 a.m.: Pancakes on Ninth Street SE
The day opens away from Main Street, at the Auburn Senior Activity Center on Ninth Street SE. American Legion Auburn Post #78 and the City co-sponsor the Community Breakfast, which runs from 7 to 9 a.m. It's $12 a person for pancakes, eggs, ham, and juice or coffee.
You'll be eating while the downtown closures are already in place. On the City's closure map, the first set of streets closes at 5:30 a.m. and a second set at 6 a.m., both through 3 p.m. Breakfast ends at 9, and by then the grid around Main Street has been changing for hours. Plan your route from the senior center to the parade around that.
9:45 a.m.: The flame at Veterans Memorial Park
The most solemn part of the day takes place an hour before the bands, at Veterans Memorial Park, 411 E Street NE. The Remembrance Ceremony and Lighting of the Flame runs from 9:45 to 10:15 a.m. and includes wreath placement, a rifle salute, prayers and taps.
According to the City, the flame stays lit and is guarded through the night at the memorial. The vigil carries the observance through Saturday night, long after the last band reaches A Street.
The ceremony ends 45 minutes before the 11 a.m. step-off, and the park sits close to where the parade begins at E Street and Main, by Washington Elementary. If you go to the ceremony, it makes sense to watch from the eastern end of the route.
10 a.m.: South Division Street fills up
The Static Display on South Division Street runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It has military equipment, recruitment booths and media sponsors. For many people, it's also where they'll eat during the parade. The City's FAQ lists these vendors:
- Cascadia Pizza Company
- Hansen's Mini Donuts and Kettle Corn
- Burgers and hot dogs from the City's Senior Wellness Team
- Red White & Brew's mobile coffee truck, parked separately on Main Street near parade check-in from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Static Display is also where you pick up a parade bingo card while supplies last. There are no prizes, just bragging rights, and the City asks people to share finished cards on its Auburn Arts & Events Facebook page. You can also print the bingo card at home.
Main Street's regular restaurants are open too, and the City points parade-goers to them as well. A few sit right on the route or a block off it:
- Pie Style Bakery, 20 W Main St, across from City Hall since the move the Auburn Reporter covered in 2025
- Oddfellas Pub & Eatery, 102 W Main St
- Rainbow Cafe, 112 E Main St
- Cow & Cod, 201 A St SE, right where the route ends
Check Saturday hours with each one directly before you plan breakfast or lunch around it.
10:30 a.m.: The route seals
The City's closure map uses several colors, and each one keeps a different schedule. Here's how they line up:
- 5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the earliest set of closed streets.
- 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a second set.
- 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. for one closed street.
- 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. for another.
- 10:30 a.m. until the parade ends, when the route closes to all through traffic except emergency response. Metro buses are included.
The detour loops around downtown and connects with State Route 18 and Auburn Way South. Expect an extra "Road Closed Ahead" sign for northbound drivers on Auburn Way South between the 6th St SE/SR-18 eastbound ramp and D St SE. The map's text version doesn't say which blocks get which window. To see whether your own street is one of the 11 p.m. closures, open the City's street closure and detour map and look at its visual page.
The City's parade FAQ recommends two places to park. One is the Transit Center Parking Garage on A Street, a block from where the route ends. The other is street parking west of Auburn Way. Parade parking in business lots is not allowed. City Hall's restrooms are open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Portable restrooms will be set up along East Main at L, K and I Streets NE, at East Main and F Street SE, on South Division Street, and at Main and B Street NE.
11 a.m.: The part everyone pictures
The parade begins at E Street and Main. The Auburn Examiner's preview lists military marching units, ROTC units, color and honor guards, scouting groups, motorcycle clubs, antique car clubs and antique military vehicles. The City recommends arriving early with a folding chair and a flag. The City's announcement also mentions a possible opening flyover by the 446th Airlift Wing from McChord Air Force Base and the King County Sheriff's Office. The City says the flyover isn't guaranteed, so treat it as a maybe.
If you're watching from home or have family out of town, KOMO 4 will livestream the parade on its website and its YouTube channel.
Noon to 5 p.m.: West Main and First Street SE
The VFW Post 1741 Open House at 130 W Main Street starts while the parade is still underway and runs until 5 p.m. It's open only to veterans and active-duty personnel, and food and refreshments will be served.
At 1:30 p.m., with doors at 1, the Auburn Noon Lions Veterans Luncheon begins at Merrill Gardens of Auburn, 18 First Street SE. The Lions and the City co-sponsor it. The program honors the recipients of the Governor's Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee's Outstanding Service to Veterans Award. The Washington Department of Veterans Affairs lists the luncheon as open to the public at $20 per person, with reservations required. The City lists the reservation deadline as Sunday, November 1. To check on seating, contact the City's Special Events Team at [email protected] or 253-931-3043.
Afternoon closures lift in stages. The 3 p.m. streets reopen first. The two 11 p.m. closures stay in place well past the City's 9 p.m. end to the day's activities. Through all of it, the flame at Veterans Memorial Park keeps burning under guard.
Wednesday, November 11: The date itself
Veterans Day itself falls the following Wednesday. That afternoon, the White River Valley Museum at 918 H Street SE holds a free Family Day from noon to 4 p.m., open to all ages. It marks both Veterans Day and Native American Heritage Month, with Indigenous foods and traditions alongside the story of the military medics who cared for troops on the front lines and at home. Details are on the museum's event page.
If parade day has you thinking about what life is like within walking distance of Main Street, I'd be glad to talk it through with you. Abby Quinto works across Auburn and South King County with Windermere Real Estate/PSR, and Schedule a Consultation is the easiest way to start that conversation.
