For many of us, Memorial Day in D.C. means visiting a public pool or attending a free concert if you’re lucky enough to get the day off work. But there’s nothing like a parade to celebrate a holiday — and after a pandemic-induced hiatus, the National Memorial Day Parade is back.

For 15 years, the American Veterans Center hosted a parade on Constitution Ave replete with musical acts, celebrity cameos, historical re-enactors, active-duty personnel, and military veterans. But when the pandemic hit in 2020 and shut down large gatherings, the parade was replaced by a pre-recorded television special.

This year, the in-person celebration returns on Monday May 30 in its usual location, down Constitution Ave, starting at 2 p.m. The live parade will also broadcast on major network affiliates like NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and The CW, per the AVC. The organization calls the event a “moving timeline of American history.”

Whether or not you plan to attend the parade, you should expect large crowds downtown that day. In previous years, the parade has attracted more than 200,000 spectators from around the country, per the American Veterans Center. The organization says it’s expecting to draw even larger crowds this year, given the parade’s cancellation the last couple of years.

“During the pandemic, our country experienced some extraordinarily turbulent and divisive times, some of which we still face today. More than ever, it is important to allow Americans of all backgrounds to come together once more and honor what we all have in common,” said Tim Holbert, the senior vice President and executive Director of the American Veterans Center, in a statement.

This is the parade’s second comeback: It was re-introduced in 2005 after having disappeared during the Second World War.

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