Downtown Knoxville will host its 101st annual Veterans Day Parade Wednesday, stepping off at 10:45 a.m. and rolling down Gay Street. The free, public event is expected to run until around noon, drawing veterans organizations, military groups, marching bands and community participants to the heart of the city.
This year's parade is organized by American Legion Post 2, according to wivk.com, which called it the largest Veterans Day event in Knoxville. The post has sponsored the parade nearly every year since 1921, with the exception of two years during World War II, according to centennial.legion.org. That long run puts this year's march just one year past the parade's centennial celebration.
American Legion Post 2 supports the parade.
Past Parade Street Closures
The 2024 parade had similar street closures beginning at 8 a.m.
For the 2025 parade, Market Street between Union and Clinch and Union Avenue between Gay and Walnut were scheduled to close at 9 a.m. The parade also had separate 10:15 a.m. street closures.
After the 2025 parade, closed streets were expected to reopen to through traffic at 12:30 p.m.
How This Year Compares to Last
Knoxville's 100th annual parade marched through downtown on Nov. 11, 2025, also stepping off at 10:45 a.m., according to wate.com. That centennial route ran from the Civic Coliseum down Church Street, over to Gay Street, through downtown and on to Depot Avenue, and it was organized by American Legion Post 2 with support from the city's Office of Special Events, the station reported.
Last year's closures followed a similar pattern, with West Hill Avenue, Main Street and Gay Street all closing at 8 a.m., the station noted. The city also offered free garage parking for the day.
Residents and visitors heading downtown Wednesday can expect a similar scene: marching bands, veterans groups and community members filling Gay Street for a tradition that, by American Legion Post 2's own account, has marked Veterans Day in Knoxville for more than a century.
