Bakersfield’s Annual Veterans Day Parade is a Must-See Local Tradition

Community comes together to celebrate veterans

Every year, Bakersfield’s residents line the streets to celebrate local veterans with the city’s annual Veterans Day Parade. While the parade is a proud tradition for the community, it takes a lot of work to put on each year.

Hard work brings the community together

For Tim Parsley, the parade chairman, making sure the parade happens every year is a labor of love. Parsley works with a 10-person committee to bring together the dozens of groups that participate in the parade and make sure the parade route is safe for all the attendees. Despite all the hard work, Parsley says it’s all worth it when he sees the joy in the faces of the veterans and the community.

A tradition that started with an idea

The first Veterans Day Parade started in 1947, making it one of Bakersfield’s longest-running traditions.

Parsley says that the parade is a way for the community to come together and remember the sacrifices that veterans have made. He believes that the parade helps to teach the younger generation about the importance of military service.

The festivities continue after the parade

The parade is just the beginning of the Veterans Day festivities in Bakersfield. After the parade, there is a ceremony at the War Memorial, live music, food vendors, a beer garden, and a kids’ zone at the Beale Memorial Library.