Happy Memorial Day Weekend from MCI Headquarters! We are incredibly excited about all of the Memorial Day festivities about to happen over the weekend in Washington, D.C., and we hope that YOU can join us and be a part of it all in our nation’s capital!
First of all, the 2015 National Memorial Day Parade is going to be incredibly special, featuring a number of veterans from all five Armed Forces branches planning to attend, as well as a slew of celebrities co-hosting and headlining the event itself. 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of victory in World War II, and MCI is proud to collaborate with a variety of individuals and organizations to commemorate the occasion, including:
- Actors Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna
- Rita Cosby and Paul Berry, with Kirsten Haglund (Miss America 2008) as Parade Hosts and special correspondent
- Celebrity Chef and Royal Navy veteran Robert Irvine
- Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev
- Professional wrestler and Purple Heart recipient Chris Melendez
- Special musical guests Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins and American Idol winner Caleb Johnson
- Historical war re-enactors, veterans organizations, and over 1,000 active duty military personnel
- The Veterans of World War Two serving as this year’s official Parade Grand Marshals
We would especially like to warmly welcome over 20 high school marching bands from across the United States participating in the parade as featured performers, helping celebrate the American spirit of Memorial Day, as well as commemorating the sacrifices made by our past and present American heroes:
- Arbor View High School Outdoor Performance Ensemble, Las Vegas, NV
- Bartow Yellow Jacket Band, Bartow, FL
- Chilton High School Band, Chilton, WI
- Cumberland Valley High School Marching Band, Mechanicsburg, PA
- Deer Park High School Band, Deer Park, TX
- Franklin High School Marching Band, Franklin, PA
- Gateway Senior High School, Monroeville, PA
- Hampton High School Marching Band, Allison Park, PA
- Havelock High School Marching Rams, Havelock, NC
- Henry Ford II High School Falcon Marching Band, Sterling Heights, MI
- John F. Kennedy Marching Band, Taylor, MI
- Liberty Tech High School Band, Jackson, TN
- Mariposa County High School Grizzly Band, Mariposa, CA
- Morristown High School Band, Morristown, IN
- Mulberry High School Panther Marching Band, Mulberry, FL
- Newberry High School Band of Pride, Newberry, FL
- Ocoee High School Marching Band, Ocoee, FL
- Ohio State School for the Blind Marching Band, Columbus, OH
- Opelousas High School Tiger Marching Band, Opelousas, LA
- Secaucus Middle/High School, Secaucus, NJ
- Shiner Comanche Marching Band, Shiner, TX
- Springfield Central High School Band, Springfield, MA
- West Platte High School, Weston, MO
The U.S. Army Band, as well as the U.S. Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Navy, and Marine Corps Marching Platoons will also be marching in the parade.
The parade itself will take place on Monday, May 25th at 2pm along Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. in front of thousands of spectators. It is open to the public, free of charge, and a great event for people of all ages. The route is accessible via the Washington, DC metro and is easy to access via National Archives/Penn Quarter/Navy Memorial stop (yellow/green line) as well as the Federal Triangle and Smithsonian stop (orange/blue/silver line).
If you cannot make the parade in person, you will be able to watch a live telecast on a variety of TV networks as well as online via livestream. For more information, see the official parade broadcast information page.
We hope that you will join us in welcoming all of the featured performers to Washington, D.C. for the 2015 Memorial Day Parade, commemorating 150 years since the end of the Civil War, 70 years since the Allied victory in World War II, and ten years celebrating the annual tradition of the parade itself, which began in 2005. For more parade information, please visit the website of the American Veterans Center.
Stay tuned and informed by following Music Celebrations on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (musiccelebrations). We will be using hashtags #NMDParade and #MemorialDayInDC, and we encourage you to post your own pictures using those as well!
For all of you joining us both in person and online, we wish you a safe, happy, and healthy Memorial Day weekend, and see you at the parade!
