Veterans Day Parade in Downtown COS Starts at 11 AM Today — Here's What to Know

The In Their Honor Veterans Day Parade steps off at 11 AM this morning in downtown Colorado Springs, and it's one of the most genuinely meaningful community events on the city's calendar. Here's the practical information families need, plus what makes this event worth making time for — especially if you're raising kids in a city that's home to one of the largest active-duty military communities in the country.

Why Veterans Day Hits Differently in COS

Colorado Springs is home to Fort Carson, the United States Air Force Academy, Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base, and Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station. By concentration of active-duty service members per capita, it's one of the most military-connected cities in the United States.

What that means practically is that in most Colorado Springs schools, some number of students are military kids. Many families here have parents who have deployed, siblings who are currently serving, or grandparents who came through Fort Carson decades ago and stayed. Veterans Day in Colorado Springs isn't a distant civic formality. For a lot of families in this city, it's personal.

Bringing kids to the parade is a natural opportunity to talk about service — what it means, what it costs, and why communities set aside a day to recognize it. That conversation lands differently when you're standing on a street in a city where so many people around you have lived that reality.

Tomorrow: Turkey Trails 5K at Bear Creek

If your family wants to continue the Veterans Day weekend with an active morning, the Turkey Trails 5K takes place tomorrow, Sunday November 8, at Bear Creek Regional Park. There's a kids' race for participants ages 15 and under, with registration at $15. It's a good low-stakes race for families who want to get outside before the holiday week picks up.

Bear Creek Regional Park is off 21st Street in the southwest part of the city, with ample parking and well-maintained trail access. The Turkey Trails race has been a consistent fixture on the fall COS running calendar for local families.

What's Next

Veterans Day as a federal holiday falls on Wednesday, November 11 this year. Many D11, D20, and D49 schools observe the holiday with no classes, though district schedules vary — check your school's calendar for confirmation.

If you're not able to make today's parade, there are typically additional Veterans Day observances at local military installations and community organizations through the week of November 11. Fort Carson and the Air Force Academy both hold their own ceremonies that are sometimes open to the public.

Today's parade is the main community event, though. If the weather holds, it's worth getting downtown before 11.