Miami Beach holds its 18th annual Veterans Day Parade and Celebration on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and the first step comes at 11:11 a.m., the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. That timing goes back to the World War I armistice, the moment the guns stopped in 1918, and the city keeps it to the minute. The parade runs along Ocean Drive from 5th Street to 15th Street, past the Art Deco hotels and Lummus Park, with the ocean on one side of the route the whole way.

The city puts on the parade with VFW Post 3559. This year it carries the theme Forever Honored and sits inside Miami Beach's programming for America 250, the country's 250th anniversary. According to the city, the parade began with about 50 participants and now draws more than 1,000.

Who marches

The lineup, as the city describes it, includes veteran and military organizations, marching bands, music and dance groups, local businesses, community organizations, students and elected officials. Spectators can line Ocean Drive anywhere along the ten blocks between 5th and 15th streets.

The ceremony in Lummus Park

After the parade, at 12:15 p.m., a ceremony follows in Lummus Park. Miami Beach Police and Fire honor guards present the colors, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem. The program includes a moment of silence in the armistice tradition, a 21-gun salute, taps and a wreath-laying. Representatives of U.S. Southern Command and elected officials are scheduled to speak.

One piece of the ceremony is specific to Miami Beach. Local Girl Scouts will unveil the restored flag box from Miami Beach Fire Department Station No. 4.

The bugles start Saturday

The observance begins before the parade. From Saturday, Nov. 7, through Tuesday, Nov. 10, a bugler sounds Retreat at sunset at three spots in the city: The Betsy Hotel at 1440 Ocean Drive, Lincoln Road at Pennsylvania Avenue, and 73rd Street at Ocean Terrace in North Beach. Retreat is the call that marks the end of the military duty day and the lowering of the flag.

Letters for the troops, on paper and on a screen

There are two ways to send thanks. The first is digital. Since Nov. 2, the Parks and Recreation Department, VFW Post 3559, The Betsy Hotel and Badger, a social platform owned by a veteran, have been collecting photos of handwritten letters and short thank-you videos at miamibeachfl.gov/america250, where a live feed shows what has come in. The submissions are projected onto The Betsy's Orb every night from 6 to 11 p.m.

The second is on paper, on parade day. From 9 a.m. to noon on Nov. 11, the Parks and Recreation registration tent at 5th Street and Ocean Drive in Lummus Park accepts unsealed letters and cards for active-duty service members, and the city will send them on to military bases. People who drop one off receive a Forever Honored commemorative hat while supplies last.

Plan your morning

  • Parade: Wednesday, Nov. 11, 11:11 a.m., Ocean Drive from 5th to 15th streets.
  • Ceremony: 12:15 p.m., Lummus Park.
  • Letter and card drop-off: 9 a.m. to noon, registration tent at 5th Street and Ocean Drive.
  • Sunset Retreat calls: Nov. 7 to 10 at The Betsy, Lincoln Road and Pennsylvania Avenue, and 73rd Street and Ocean Terrace.
  • Online letters and videos: miamibeachfl.gov/america250, projected nightly on The Betsy's Orb from 6 to 11 p.m.

The city asks anyone who needs a sign language interpreter to request one five days ahead. Accommodation requests go to 305-604-2ADA (2232); TTY users can call 711.

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