Military Parades

Fort McNair
http://twilight.mdw.army.mil [1]
Marine Barracks
8th St. and I St. SW

Marine Corps War Memorial
N. Marshall Dr., Arlington, Va.
www.marines.mil/unit/barracks/ [2]

The pomp and pageantry of military parades take place in Washington on summer evenings, showcasing area military bands and performance teams. On designated Wednesday nights in May and June, the U.S. Army holds a Twilight Tattoo at Fort McNair, a historic post on DC’s southwestern waterfront that serves as home to the National War College.

Performers include the U.S. Army Band, known as “Pershing’s Own,” along with units from the service’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, the U.S. Army Drill Team, and various Army musical groups. Seating is first-come, first served on bleachers.

The city’s most impressive military parade is held Friday nights in the summer at Marine Barracks, the Marine Corps’s oldest post. Set amid the backdrop of historic buildings, the Marine Corps Band battles it out with the service’s Drum and Bugle Corps, while units from the base display their precision drill maneuvers.

Tickets are required for the event and can be obtained through the Marine Corps’ website. To see the same Marine Corps units perform a shorter program in a more casual setting—bring a picnic blanket for seating—head to the grounds of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington on Tuesday nights from late May to mid-August for a Sunset Parade. The performance begins at 7 p.m.