Brooklyn has been holding its Memorial Day Parade longer than almost any city in America. Today, the 159th edition steps off in Bay Ridge — and across the borough, from Canarsie to Bedford-Stuyvesant, neighborhoods are gathering to honor the fallen in the way Brooklyn always has: loudly, proudly, and together.
The 159th Brooklyn Memorial Day Parade: Bay Ridge’s Big Moment
The main event is the 159th Brooklyn / Kings County / Bay Ridge Memorial Day Parade, stepping off at 11 am from 3rd Avenue and 78th Street in Bay Ridge. The route proceeds down 3rd Avenue to Marine Avenue, then up to 4th Avenue, and ends at John Paul Jones Park (Cannonball Park) adjacent to Fort Hamilton for the memorial service.
The ceremony at the park includes bagpipes, a flag raising, wreath laying by Veteran Service Organizations, a 21-gun salute by the Veteran Corps of Artillery, and the playing of Echo Taps. This year’s Grand Marshal is Brigadier General Michael J. Deegan of the United States Army Reserve. The parade is organized by the United Military Veterans of Kings County — a 501(c)(3) that has kept this tradition alive since 1867, making the Kings County Memorial Day Parade one of the oldest continuously run Memorial Day parades in any large American city.
If you plan to watch: the parade moves south along 3rd Avenue between 78th and the park, so any spot along that corridor gives you a great view. Street parking along the route will be restricted; the R train to 86th Street puts you right in the heart of it.
Canarsie: A Southeast Brooklyn Tradition
In Canarsie, the Brooklyn Canarsie Lions Club Memorial Day Parade assembled at 9:30 am this morning in the parking lot of Holy Family Church at 9719 Flatlands Avenue. The parade heads southeast along East 98th Street to Avenue L, turns onto Remson Avenue, and stops at Canarsie Cemetery to honor the fallen before continuing north to the American Legion at 1130 East 92nd Street.
The Canarsie parade is a deeply neighborhood affair — smaller than Bay Ridge’s, but no less meaningful for the families who line the streets. Canarsie Cemetery holds the remains of veterans from multiple wars, and the procession there is the emotional center of the event.
Bedford-Stuyvesant: The 15th Veterans’ Memorial Day Parade
Bedford-Stuyvesant is holding the 15th Bedford-Stuyvesant Veterans’ Memorial Day Parade today, assembling at 11:30 am and stepping off at noon from Restoration Plaza at 1368 Fulton Street. The parade marches north to Black Veterans for Social Justice (BVSJ) headquarters at 665 Willoughby Plaza, where closing ceremonies begin at 1 pm.
The Black Veterans for Social Justice has organized this parade for 15 years, connecting the neighborhood’s veteran community with its broader civic life. Bedford-Stuyvesant has a deep tradition of military service, and the BVSJ parade has become one of the most important community events on the Bed-Stuy calendar.
What Makes Brooklyn’s Memorial Day Different
Brooklyn’s Memorial Day tradition is older than the holiday itself was officially named. The Kings County parade traces its roots to 1867, just two years after the end of the Civil War, when veterans in Brooklyn began marching to honor their fallen comrades. That continuity — 159 years of the same basic act, in the same borough, for the same purpose — is something that no other borough can claim.
The three Brooklyn parades today — Bay Ridge, Canarsie, and Bedford-Stuyvesant — reflect the borough’s geographic and demographic breadth. They are not competing events; they are three expressions of the same impulse, rooted in three very different neighborhoods. If you can only get to one, the Bay Ridge parade offers the most elaborate ceremony. But if you live in Canarsie or Bed-Stuy, your neighborhood’s parade is worth showing up for.
For more Brooklyn holiday coverage, see HelpNewYork’s full NYC Memorial Day Weekend 2026 guide.
What You Need to Know
- 159th Brooklyn Memorial Day Parade — steps off 11 am from 3rd Ave & 78th St, Bay Ridge; ends at John Paul Jones Park with ceremony, 21-gun salute, and Taps; R train to 86th St
- Canarsie Lions Club Parade — assembles 9:30 am, Holy Family Church, 9719 Flatlands Ave; route ends at American Legion, 1130 East 92nd St
- Bed-Stuy Veterans’ Parade — steps off noon from Restoration Plaza, 1368 Fulton St; ceremony at 665 Willoughby Plaza at 1 pm
- Bay Ridge route closures — 3rd Avenue from 78th St south will have moving street closures 11 am to approximately 1:30 pm
- Grand Marshal 2026 — Brigadier General Michael J. Deegan, U.S. Army Reserve; Robin Kelleher, CEO of Hope For The Warriors, also serving as Grand Marshal
Brooklyn’s Memorial Day is not a performance for tourists. It is a borough talking to itself about what it values and who it remembers. Show up to your neighborhood parade today.
Source: Brooklyn Memorial Day Parade official site; GothamBuzz NYC 2026
