SAVANNAH, Ga. — Drivers heading into downtown Savannah, Ga., on Wednesday should expect blocked streets and towed cars as the city hosts its Veterans Day Parade, with closures along the route set to start at 6 a.m. and the march itself stepping off at 10 a.m.
This year marks the 80th edition of the event. The organizer is the Veterans Council of Chatham County, an umbrella body for 28 military veteran organizations in the area. More than 100 units are expected to march, and every surviving former winner of the council honor for local veteran of the year will serve as a grand marshal.
The marchers will gather in a staging area on Abercorn Street between Gwinnett Street and Park Avenue. From there the route heads north on Abercorn, turns west on Liberty, runs north on Montgomery and finishes eastbound on Broughton. Marchers plan to stop in front of the reviewing stand at 11:11 a.m. for a brief Veterans Day observance.
City officials said parking restrictions in the staging zone kick in at 5 a.m., and no cars may be left anywhere along the route. Any vehicle still sitting in a marked zone past the posted time can be hauled away, and the owner pays the bill. Broughton will be shut in both directions from Montgomery to East Broad until the event wraps up, while Oglethorpe will be blocked only where it meets Montgomery.
Other closures include stretches of Bolton, Waldburg and Lincoln streets. Each road reopens once the parade passes, and the city expects all of them to be back open by early afternoon, so commuters should build in extra time and use alternate routes.
The parade is one of the oldest Veterans Day traditions in coastal Georgia, and the pause at 11:11 a.m. on Nov. 11 lines up with the hour that marked the end of fighting in World War I. Spectators usually line Abercorn and Broughton early to find a spot near the reviewing stand.
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