Thousands of families packed the Navy Yard area and streamed onto the field at Nationals Park on Saturday morning for the 2026 March for Babies walk. The annual March of Dimes fundraiser pulled in teams, volunteers and local sponsors for a stroller-friendly, three-mile route focused on improving maternal and infant health across the Beltway. Organizers turned the ballpark concourse into a mini community fair, complete with music, rock painting and stroller-decorating stations for kids.
According to FOX 5 DC, thousands were expected at Nats Park on Saturday, April 25 for March for Babies, which the station described as March of Dimes’ largest fundraiser. Video from the outlet showed volunteers assembling booths and families in matching team shirts filtering in ahead of the opening ceremony.
Route, schedule and public-safety notes
The District’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency listed the walk as starting and ending at Nationals Park, with official hours roughly 9:30 a.m. to noon, and noted that the route would stay on sidewalks to limit street closures, according to HSEMA. Organizers and city crews coordinated parking and crowd plans around the Navy Yard corridor to keep the three-mile route firmly in family-friendly territory.
Why the fundraising matters
Prematurity and low birthweight remain major drivers of infant illness and long-term disability, which makes local fundraising efforts more than just a feel-good weekend walk for families and hospitals. Government data shows infants born preterm face higher risks of early death and developmental complications, a reality that keeps research and community programs at the center of groups supported by March for Babies, per ChildStats.
Day-of activities and fundraising totals
The March for Babies event page listed gates opening at 8 a.m., an opening ceremony at 9:30 a.m. and a leisurely three-mile route that finishes on the field, along with family activities like rock painting and stroller decorating, according to March for Babies. Organizers reported $904,537 raised for the Greater Washington event as of Saturday, April 25, with top individual fundraisers and local institutions, from Liz Haggerty to INOVA Fairfax & Children’s Hospital, listed on the walk site.
Organizers thanked volunteers, team captains and sponsors for turning a spring morning at the ballpark into one of the city’s liveliest fundraisers for newborn health. Local teams and companies say the walk keeps a spotlight on gaps in maternal and infant care, even as they celebrate the scale of the community turnout.
