Start on the Pasadena Parade Grounds at 11:11
At 10:30 on the morning of November 11, the Pasadena tribute honoring the 2nd Battalion, 23d Marine Regiment gets underway — a reserve battalion headquartered in Pasadena and deployed on a yearlong tour. A Yellow Ribbon Ceremony leads the program, the Pasadena Scottish Pipes and Drums play, and at exactly 11:11 a.m. the Condor Squadron flies over in restored WWII-era North American Aviation AT-6/SNJ trainers. Col. Juan M. Mora, chief of staff of the California National Guard 40th Infantry Division, and James Zenner, director of the LA County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, are among the speakers. Military organization booths line the site, and Pasadena Fire Department firefighters serve free hot dogs. Get there early enough to hear the pipes tuning.
March Down Laurel Canyon Boulevard
The San Fernando Valley Veterans Day Parade steps off at 11:11 a.m. at Laurel Canyon Blvd. and San Fernando Mission Blvd. in Mission Hills and heads south 1.1 miles along Laurel Canyon Blvd. to Ritchie Valens Park. The grand marshal is former U.S. Army Spc. Edward Landin, who served from 1971 to 1973. Stake out a spot along the route rather than at the start — the parade is short enough that you can see it twice if you move.
Ceremonies Across the County, All on the Same Morning
November 11 is a fixed federal date, observed on the 11th since 1978, and Los Angeles County fills it from the pier to the cemetery. Most ceremonies begin at 11 a.m., so pick one and commit:
- West Hollywood: an 11 a.m. ceremony at the Sal Guarriello Veterans Memorial, at Santa Monica Blvd. and Holloway Drive, with a special focus on LGBTQ veterans. LA County Board of Supervisors Chair Lindsey Horvath speaks.
- Pacific Park, Santa Monica Pier: 11 a.m.–1 p.m., with free meals and ride tickets for veterans and active military. A military flyover with Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters, a demonstration by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point Drill Team, and speakers including former LA Ram Andrew Whitworth. Former NFL players Cade McNown and Donnie Edwards lead a military convoy with California Army National Guard vehicles.
- Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills: the 65th annual Veterans Day Celebration at 11 a.m. — flyover, patriotic music, invocation and benediction, color guard, wreath laying and family activities.
- Queen Mary, Long Beach: a free celebration for veterans, active-duty military and families, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Letter-writing to active-duty personnel, arts and crafts, veterans' stories, and free self-guided ship exhibit tours. Entertainment includes a tribute to The Andrews Sisters.
- Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center, Long Beach: 10 a.m.–3 p.m., with food, vendors, a car show and music.
- Elsewhere in the county: Azusa, Alhambra, Baldwin Park, Carson, Cerritos, Monterey Park, Norwalk, Palmdale and Santa Clarita each hold their own ceremonies.
Catch the Rams' Salute to Service at SoFi Stadium
The Rams host the Miami Dolphins at SoFi Stadium for their Salute to Service game. Before kickoff, the West Point Drill Team performs, Matthew and Kelly Stafford host 20 Navy SEALs and guests in the Row of Honor, and a military enlistment ceremony takes place on the field. Six military representatives — one per branch — serve as honorary Rampede captains. If you're 21 or older, you can make care packages for active military from 3 p.m. until kickoff at the Lower American Airlines Plaza. Check the season schedule for the kickoff time and plan your arrival around the pregame rather than the opening whistle.
Make a Day of It, and Know What's Fixed
The holiday itself never moves: November 11, a federal holiday since 1938 and renamed Veterans Day by Congress in 1954 at the urging of veterans service organizations, with roots in Woodrow Wilson's November 1919 Armistice Day proclamation. What moves is everything around it — the Rams' home date, the lineup at each ceremony, and the exact program times beyond the ones listed above. Confirm details with organizers before you travel, and treat the 11 a.m. ceremonies as your anchor: choose Pasadena for the flyover and the pipes, the Valley for the march, Santa Monica for the pier and the helicopters, Long Beach for the Queen Mary's decks and the VA center's car show. Between them you have a full day that runs from a fire department hot dog to a drill team demonstration without ever leaving the county.