Mobile's Veterans Day parade starts at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, on Canal Street downtown, with a free flag ceremony and concert at USS Alabama the same day.

Last checked Nov. 1, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Sources: the Mobile Bay Area Veterans Commission, which organizes the parade; the parade’s listing on the Mobile County community calendar; USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park; and the City of Mobile’s sanitation holiday schedule.

Mobile’s Veterans Day parade steps off at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, in downtown Mobile. The Mobile Bay Area Veterans Commission runs a full day of events: a flag raising at the USS Alabama at 7 a.m., the parade at 10 a.m., an honors luncheon at noon and two free events at Battleship Memorial Park in the afternoon and evening. The parade and the park’s afternoon and evening events are free.

Who to call

  • Mobile Bay Area Veterans Commission: vetscommission.com
  • USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park: 2703 Battleship Parkway, 1-800-GANGWAY
  • City services: Mobile 311, 311 or 251-208-5311
  • Mobile Police non-emergency: 251-208-7211. Emergency: 911.

The schedule for Wednesday, Nov. 11

Time Event Where
7 a.m. Flag raising ceremony, free and open to the public USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park
10 a.m. Veterans Day parade Downtown Mobile, from Canal Street
Noon to 1:30 p.m. Veterans Day Honors Luncheon 1630 S. Broad St.
3 to 4 p.m. Veterans Day Celebration and Parade of Flags USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park
7 to 9 p.m. Mobile Pops Symphonic Band Veterans Day concert Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion, USS Alabama

The times come from the veterans commission’s schedule of events and the park’s own event pages.

The parade route

The parade’s listing on the Mobile County community calendar gives this route:

  • It starts on Canal Street and goes west on Canal.
  • It turns north on Broad Street.
  • It turns east on Government Street.
  • It turns south on Claiborne Street.

Scores of groups take part every year with floats, marching units, bands, flag details and military equipment, the commission says. The city had not published a list of street closures as of Nov. 1. We will add closures if the city or the Mobile Police Department posts them. Check our road construction and closures page and our getting around Mobile page, which links the Downtown Mobile Alliance’s parking information, before you drive downtown.

Free events at the USS Alabama

  • Veterans Day Celebration and Parade of Flags, 3 to 4 p.m. Patriotic music, readings by the winners of the Veterans Day essay contest and a keynote by the 2026-27 Distinguished Young Woman of the Year. Fourth graders from Mobile and Baldwin counties carry the flags. It is free and open to the public, and seating is limited, according to the park.
  • Mobile Pops Veterans Day concert, 7 to 9 p.m. Patriotic music, military marches and the service songs, with recognition of veterans in the audience, in the Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion. Free and open to the public, the park says.

The 2026 honorees

The Mobile Bay Area Veterans Commission named its 2026 honorees:

  • Veteran of the Year: Tom Schwarz, a U.S. Navy veteran who served aboard the USS Orleck off Vietnam and has spent more than 25 years in veteran advocacy with Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 701 and the South Alabama Veterans Council.
  • Patriot of the Year: retired Rear Adm. W. Kent Davis, a former Navy vice chief of information and head of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, now CEO of Vets Recover in Mobile.

What is open and closed

  • Trash pickup: normal garbage and trash routes on Wednesday, Nov. 11. The city’s recycling centers on Pinehill Drive, Museum Drive and Dauphin Island Parkway are closed, according to the city’s sanitation holiday schedule. See our trash and recycling page.

What it means for you

If you are going to the parade, allow extra time downtown on Wednesday morning and park away from Canal, Broad, Government and Claiborne streets, which carry the route. The free events at the USS Alabama run in the afternoon and evening, so a family can see the parade and the concert on the same day.

Frequently asked questions

What time is the Mobile Veterans Day parade in 2026?

10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, in downtown Mobile. The Mobile Bay Area Veterans Commission organizes it.

What is the route of the Mobile Veterans Day parade?

The route published on the Mobile County community calendar starts on Canal Street and goes west on Canal, north on Broad Street, east on Government Street and south on Claiborne Street.

Is there trash pickup in Mobile on Veterans Day?

Yes. The City of Mobile runs normal garbage and trash routes on Wednesday, Nov. 11. The city’s three recycling centers are closed that day.

What Veterans Day events are at the USS Alabama?

A flag raising at 7 a.m., a Veterans Day Celebration and Parade of Flags at 3 p.m. and the Mobile Pops Symphonic Band’s concert at 7 p.m. in the Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion. The 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. events are free and open to the public.

Who is Mobile’s 2026 Veteran of the Year?

The Mobile Bay Area Veterans Commission named Tom Schwarz, a U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran, as 2026 Veteran of the Year and retired Rear Adm. W. Kent Davis as 2026 Patriot of the Year.