July 16, 2020

Veterans Parade goes virtual for 2020 as Philadelphia cancels large events

Event honors around 220,000 veterans living in the region

By Allie Miller
PhillyVoice Staff

Robert J. Castaldi, Sr./Phila Veterans Parade-Flickr

The 6th annual Philadelphia Veterans Parade will be held online this year due to the threat of COVID-19, which has lead city officials to cancel all large events scheduled to take place through February 2021. The virtual event is scheduled to take place November 6, 2020.

The 6th annual Philadelphia Veterans Parade will take place virtually this year, as the city has put all large events on hold.

Organizers for the parade said that they will hold an online event in place of the live one, but are still uncertain of event details.

The live parade would've taken place on Nov. 6. However, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced the cancellation of all large events through Feb. 28, 2021, due the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"Although we will not be able to gather in the same way we have in the past, we are planning on taking our celebration of veterans online this year for a one-of-a-kind virtual parade experience," wrote parade organizers.

The President of the Philadelphia Veterans Parade, Anthony Murphy, then released a statement that compared the event's change to war experiences.

“In battles we adjust, and that is exactly what we are going to do for this year’s parade," said Murphy. "Whether we are marching on Market Street or gathering together online, our goal remains the same – to honor and thank our nation’s heroes."

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We have received notice from the City of Philadelphia that all in-person events and festivals are canceled for the rest of 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, and our efforts to keep veterans, their families and spectators as safe as possible, the 6th Annual Philadelphia Veterans Parade & Festival scheduled for Sunday, November 8th will no longer be held in person. Although we will not be able to gather in the same way we have in the past, we are planning on taking our celebration of Veterans online this year for a one-of-a-kind virtual parade experience. “In battles we adapt, adjust and advance, and that is exactly what we are going to do for this year’s parade. Whether we are marching on Market Street or gathering together online, our goal remains the same – to honor and thank our nation’s heroes and we will not let a year go by without doing just that. We are excited to take on this entirely new challenge and do so in a way that is inclusive of an even broader audience that the internet affords us to reach of veterans of all backgrounds.” – Anthony Murphy, President of the Philadelphia Veterans Parade. Please stay tuned as we work out the details of our Virtual 6th Annual Philadelphia Veterans Parade and we welcome any and all suggestions from our past sponsors, VSOs, marchers and spectators. Feel free to message us with any questions. We look forward to honoring the over 220,000 veterans in our region this November.

A post shared by Philly Veterans Parade (@phillyvetparade) on Jul 14, 2020 at 10:04am PDT

The Philadelphia Veterans Parade is seeking suggestions for the virtual event, which is still scheduled for November. Interested parties can send in suggestions here.

There are approximately 220,000 veterans in the area that the event honors. The 2019 event brought in around 7,000 participants from around 150 organizations.

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