Arts & Entertainment

Celebrating Military Service Parade and Concert Arrives in Downtown Tacoma on Saturday

The Celebrating Military Service Parade will "wow" Pierce County on Saturday evening.

For the first time in five decades, an all-military parade will be presented in downtown Tacoma.

The Daffodil Festival is proud to offer Tacoma and the surrounding communities an evening to honor those who deserve it the most.  

The parade will feature many notable active duty, reserve and retired military personnel, and numerous military vehicles.  It will also include veterans and military personnel on regional community floats, veteran organizations, motorcycle units and historical groups.  Expected attendance is 20,000 to 30,000.

Concert begins at 5 p.m. in Tollefson Plaza and Parade begins at 6 p.m. at S 13th St & Pacific Ave.

Concert and Tollefson activities

Before the parade, the 56th Army Band will be performing in Tollefson Plaza at 5 p.m.  Their 45-minute concert will complete and then transition to the front of the parade route at 6 p.m.  Tollefson Plaza will feature 7 to 8 organizations with military ties including recruiters, United Way and WorkForce Central.

Sound Transit

The Sounder will operate a special train from Lakewood for anyone attending the Parade. The train departs Lakewood at 3 pm and stops at the S. Tacoma station at 3:05 pm. The train returns from Tacoma at 8:30 pm.  There is no cost and is paid for by sponsors and in partnership with Sound Transit.

Notable Parade Details

  • Over 25 of the 70+ entries will be comprised of active duty and national guard units.  High ranking VIP’s, heavy machinery, and marching units will be showcased.  The parade grand marshal is retired Colonel Joe Jackson who received a Medal of Honor in 1969.  He is a highly decorated hero and a national treasure at the spry age of 90.

  • The Parade will offer three reviewing/announcing zones for the parade:  13th & Pacific, Tollefson Plaza and 19th & Pacific.  The announcers will broadcast to the surrounding area as the entries in the parade pass by.

  • The Daffodil Festival Royalty are giving up their seats on the famous Queen’s Float to 24 wounded soldiers from the Warrior Transition Battalion from JBLM.  The float is decorated in red, white and blue instead of 80,000 daffodils.

  • Soldiers from the Royal Westminster Regiment will be marching.  The Canadian contingent will include a float from New Westminster, Canada and a number of active and retired soldiers that have served next to American soldiers.

Road Closures

The parade route is set heading south on Pacific Avenue, beginning at 13th Street and ending at 24th Street from 6 - 7:30 p.m.  Parade staging will primarily be on Pacific Avenue, from 9th to 13th streets from 2:30 – 7:30 p.m.  In an effort to limit inconvenience and road closures, traffic may cross Pacific Avenue at 13th, 15th and 21st streets before 6 p.m.  South 9th Street will stay open for the duration of the parade, and all streets will reopen entirely by 7:30 p.m.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Lakewood-JBLM