Homestead's Veterans Day Parade marks its 65th year on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and the City of Homestead is building a full day downtown around it. Homestead Salutes, a Veterans Day celebration the city describes as reimagined, runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a ceremony, the parade, a picnic in Losner Park and a youth symphony concert at the Seminole Theatre. All of it is free.

The city is putting on the day with local VFW and veterans organizations, and its calendar lists the celebration for every age group, from young children to seniors.

The schedule

The day begins at 11 a.m. with the Veterans Celebration Ceremony. The 65th Annual Veterans Day Parade follows from noon to 2 p.m.

From 2 to 5 p.m., the celebration moves into Losner Park, at 104 N. Krome Ave., for a Hometown Picnic. The city's listing uses the park as the event's home base.

The last hour belongs to the South Florida Youth Symphony, which plays a Veterans Day concert at the Seminole Theatre from 4 to 5 p.m. The Seminole, at 18 N. Krome Ave., opened on Nov. 26, 1921, as a cinema showing silent films, and it became a gathering place for South Dade and the upper Keys.

A tradition with a new shape

The city frames the day as a way to honor veterans and to celebrate a Homestead tradition that has now reached its 65th parade. What is new this year is the format: rather than a parade alone, Homestead Salutes stretches the day from a morning ceremony through an afternoon picnic to a late-afternoon concert, all along Krome Avenue.

Nov. 11 falls on a Wednesday this year, so the whole program runs midweek, from late morning to late afternoon.

How to go

  • What: Homestead Salutes, Veterans Day Celebration, with the 65th Annual Veterans Day Parade.
  • When: Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. Ceremony 11 a.m.; parade noon to 2 p.m.; picnic 2 to 5 p.m.; South Florida Youth Symphony concert 4 to 5 p.m.
  • Where: Losner Park, 104 N. Krome Ave., Homestead, and the Seminole Theatre, 18 N. Krome Ave.
  • Cost: Free and open to the community.
  • Hosts: The City of Homestead with local VFW and veterans organizations.

The parade route and street closures had not been posted on the city's calendar as of Oct. 21. The event listing on the Discover Homestead community calendar is the place to check for updates.

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