The New Orleans Veterans Day Parade carries the whole city's name. It happens on a single Lakeview street, Harrison Avenue, for one hour on Saturday, November 7, from 11 a.m. to noon. The core of the parade is an open invitation, and whichever veterans accept it on the day make up the procession.
A citywide parade with a Lakeview address
When The Times-Picayune photographed last year's edition, it described the New Orleans Veterans Day Parade as marching "up and down Harrison Avenue in the Lakeview neighborhood" on Saturday, November 8, 2025, in its photo collection on NOLA.com. The Lakeview Civic Improvement Association has the 2026 date on its events calendar, with Harrison Avenue as the location.
The parade has been on this street for a while. In November 2015, WGNO reported on what it called Lakeview's first-ever Veterans Day parade down Harrison Avenue, with a 10 a.m. start. The official count used today runs on a different numbering. WGNO called the 2023 parade the seventh annual, and the 2025 flyer called it the ninth annual. The two numbering systems don't match. Either way, Harrison Avenue has hosted the parade for about a decade.
The date also stays on a weekend. In 2025, the parade ran on Saturday, November 8, ahead of Veterans Day on Tuesday, November 11, and this year's listing again puts it on a Saturday.
The lineup is whoever answers the invitation
The 2025 flyer invited "all veterans" to march or to ride in vehicles provided for them. WWL-TV repeated the same invitation in its roundup of Veterans Day events in the area.
That invitation shapes the whole event. A veteran who can walk the route walks it, and a veteran who would rather ride gets a seat. WGNO's account of the 2023 parade described veterans "from every branch of service," and said "some marched, some rolled, and others lined up along the street." The provided vehicles mean age and mobility don't decide who takes part.
Three grand marshals, three generations of service
The grand marshals show the open invitation at work. Over the past three years, the honor has gone to veterans whose service spans more than half a century of American military history.
| Year | Grand marshal | Service | Reported by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Matt Cole | U.S. Marine, 1999 to 2006, four years active duty and two in the reserve | WGNO |
| 2024 | Ellis Johnson | Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War and Purple Heart recipient | WGNO |
| 2025 | Lincoln Brennan Sr. | World War II veteran, 100 years old on parade day | The Times-Picayune |
Brennan also appeared as grand marshal on the 2025 flyer posted to the civic association's site. In 2023, Cole told WGNO that the parade "lets people know that the work they've done is appreciated." The 2026 listing doesn't name a grand marshal yet.
The marching units span the same generations
Around the veterans, the parade brings in groups from across the city, and many of the marchers are far younger than the people they're honoring. Last year's Times-Picayune photos showed these groups on or around the route:
- Morris Jeff Cadet Corps, practicing before stepoff
- Boy Scouts
- WWII Victory Belles
- Brother Martin High School NJROTC
- Streetcar Strutters
One of the 2025 photos shows Brennan, at 100, shaking hands with a 13-year-old before the parade began.
The Streetcar Strutters have been part of the parade for years. Yvonne Bryant, a Strutter, explained why to WGNO in 2023: "They sacrificed so much, and for us to just come out here and support them. We are very happy to be here."
An hour on the street that raises money for veterans
The parade also has a practical purpose. According to The Times-Picayune, funds raised by the parade go to veterans' charities.
In 2023, WGNO identified John D. Fitzmorris III as the parade's organizer, and he described its purpose this way:
"Soldier homelessness and soldiers' families are food insecure. It gives us an opportunity to not just say thank you but raise the consciousness of our veterans coming home."
That quote comes from WGNO's 2023 coverage. In its 2024 coverage, WGNO described the parade as a safe space for veterans to gather and a way to honor their service and sacrifice.
The civic association's listing is the best place to check before you go. It's a live calendar page and can change before the day. The LCIA committee page lists a Community Activities committee, reachable at [email protected].
The weeks around it, close to home
The parade lands in a busy stretch of the fall calendar for Lakeview and the City Park side of town. Here are the next few dates, in order:
- Saturday, October 31: Arts Market New Orleans sets up along City Park's Popp Bandstand Corridor from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with handmade work by local and Gulf South artists.
- Saturday, November 7: The Veterans Day Parade on Harrison Avenue, 11 a.m. to noon.
- Saturday, November 14: The LCIA's final general membership meeting of 2026 runs from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in the Hynes Charter School gym, with coffee and doughnuts starting at 9.
- Saturday, November 21: City Park's adults-only Jingle Bells and Beer fundraiser runs from 7 to 10 p.m. with rides, food, entertainment and beer.
- November 27: Celebration in the Oaks opens and runs through January 1, 2027.
All five are posted on live calendars, so check times and tickets before heading out.
If you'll be on Harrison Avenue on the morning of the 7th and want to talk about the neighborhood afterward, Ashley Nesser is glad to hear from fellow Lakeview neighbors and anyone thinking of joining them. Let's Connect.
