APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – The largest Flag Day parade in the country is coming back to downtown Appleton this weekend.
The Appleton Memorial Day parade is known to be more of a somber event, while Flag Day is more of a celebration.
“It’s the chance to roll out the red white and blue, and to really celebrate as a community all of the rights and freedoms that we enjoy as a country,” said Appleton Parade Committee Chairperson, Corey Otis. “We’ve got your marching bands, we’ve got your floats, we’ve got local veterans organizations. It’s really a great chance to just come on down and relax for a couple of hours as you see the floats and the marchers go by.”
There will also be concerts on Houdini Plaza from the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America’s ‘Airlifter Brass’ and more.
See the flyer for the event here:
Appleton is known for several massive parades, including their winter holiday parade, which is the largest in the Midwest.
“Appleton is kind of parade city in my mind…[but] this is the biggest, the Flag Day parade. This will be the 71st in Appleton. It’s the oldest, we like to say, in the country. Flag Day became a holiday in 1950, and Appleton was one of the first cities in the country to honor it,” Otis told WTAQ News. “When you count the number of units, we are annually the largest flag day parade in the country.”
You can learn more about the parade on the city’s website.
