2 big back-to-back parades
scheduled for Veterans Day

 

WILMINGTON | History will be made Nov. 11, 2023, when for the first time the Southeast North Carolina Veterans Parade and the Sudan Shriners Parade step off one after the other on Third Street in downtown Wilmington.

The two parades combined will bring about 130 units of various kinds to the city that morning, creating one of the largest such events ever seen in Wilmington.

The SENC Veterans Parade is in its sixth year, bringing more than 90 units including marching bands, drill teams, veteran organizations, and public safety organizations together to salute veterans, active-duty military, and reservists.

The Veterans Parade begins at 11 a.m. at Hanover Street on Third Street and continues to Market Street, with a pre-parade show of dance and musical performances scheduled at 10 a.m. in front of City Hall.

The Sudan Shriners’ Fall Ceremonial Parade last stepped off 26 years ago, in 1997, in downtown Wilmington and won’t return for at least 10 years, said Sudan Shriners CEO Louis R. Smith III.

Smith described the Sudan Shriners as “one of the Shriners’ largest parade units,” featuring 36 to 39 units, including attractions such as motorized vehicles and a pirate ship.

The Sudan Shriners’ parade will immediately follow the Veterans Parade.