Arlington residents gathered on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026 for the city’s third annual Texas Veterans Day Parade, a community event that combined solemn military traditions with festive celebrations, according to the Fort Worth Report.
Retired Navy Rear Adm. Douglas “Woody” Beal led an oath‑of‑enlistment ceremony, asking the Entertainment District crowd to stand as about 50 new Army, Marine Corps and Air Force recruits recited the Oath of Enlistment. Parade coordinator Kevin Donovan, 72, said Veterans Day offers a chance to reflect on the service that protects America’s freedoms.
The parade opened with the Arlington Master Chorale performing patriotic songs and the national anthem. Three Bell helicopters performed a flyover, their first loop marked by a cannon blast over Mark Holtz Lake, followed by two additional loops as the first of 82 floats rolled out at 5:30 p.m.
Arlington Mayor Jim Ross and retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John Campbell served as the parade’s grand marshal. The route began outside Prius Lot F at the corner of East Copeland Road and Conference Center Drive, proceeded south on Ballpark Way, turned right onto Road to Six Flags, passed the National Medal of Honor Museum on AT&T Way, and returned north to finish at Lot F.
The National Medal of Honor Museum, which opened on March 25, 2025, houses the names of all 3,536 Medal of Honor recipients. Museum president and CEO Troy Bertram, a retired Army captain, recalled a video shared by curator Greg Waters that showed Waters visiting World War I and World II memorials with his nephew, emphasizing the museum’s role in connecting families to military history.
Among the crowd, Arlington resident Celina Stafford and her son Matthew, an Army National Guard soldier who recently completed Advanced Individual Training, watched the concluding drone show. Matthew said, “Veterans Day, to me personally, is about honoring the men and women who have gone through so many things throughout history… we maybe take a moment to pause and appreciate the things that America stands for.” The drone display opened with an image commemorating America’s 250th birthday, highlighted each branch of the armed forces, and ended with the parade’s motto, “Ready Then, Ready Now.”
What’s next: City officials confirmed that planning for the 2027 Texas Veterans Day Parade is already underway, with a call for community groups to submit float proposals by early February.
Sources: fortworthreport.org
