"It is a short poem," Fairfield poet laureate Suzanne Bruce said before she read "As We Stand Together" at the start of the 2023 Veterans Day Parade. "Because we all know why people are here, and it's the parade." The Daily Republic reported that as she finished, a KC-46 flew overhead in the silence.
That parade fell on a Saturday. The next one falls on a Wednesday. Fairfield holds its Veterans Day ceremony and parade on Nov. 11 itself, whatever day of the week that turns out to be. The record so far suggests a weekday date costs the parade nothing. Over the last few years the lineup has gotten bigger, not smaller.
The Date Stays Put, So The Weekday Moves
The City of Fairfield's event page lists the 2026 parade for Wednesday, November 11, with the theme "Honoring all who served." The format matches recent years: a morning ceremony inside the Downtown Theatre, then a parade through downtown starting at 12:30 p.m.
The last three parades show how the weekday moves while the schedule stays the same.
| Year | Day of the week | Theme | Entries | Grand marshal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Saturday | "Saluting America's Veterans" | 43 | Frederick B. Young Jr. |
| 2025 | Tuesday | "Forever Grateful" | 52 original entries, three no-shows | John H. Aldridge |
| 2026 | Wednesday | "Honoring all who served" | To be announced | To be announced |
As of late October, the city has not named a 2026 grand marshal. Watch the event page for that announcement before Nov. 11.
A Weekday Didn't Shrink The Lineup
In 2023, with the parade on a Saturday, organizers counted 43 entries, according to Andrea Azurdia, a program specialist with Fairfield Parks and Recreation. "Last year we had 45 entries," she told the Daily Republic.
In 2025 the parade landed on a Tuesday. The Daily Republic's coverage counted 52 original entries and three no-shows. That still put 49 entries on the street, six more than the 2023 Saturday parade.
Who marched helps explain why. The 2025 photos show the Vanden High School Air Force JROTC and the Armijo High School JROTC marching down Texas Street. Members of Vacaville's Military Museum drove past an American flag, and Taiko drummers performed along the route. Most of these groups have their own reasons to be there on the 11th specifically, and Travis Air Force Base hosts the morning ceremony every year. A Saturday doesn't make that commitment any stronger, and a Tuesday doesn't make it weaker.
The grand marshals come from that same circle. The 2025 grand marshal, John H. Aldridge, is a retired U.S. Air Force technical sergeant, a longtime American Legion leader, California Department Commander at the time, and the founder of Liberty Post 316, according to the city. Frederick B. Young Jr., the 2023 grand marshal, enlisted in the Air Force at 17 and served 20 years as an aircraft loadmaster superintendent and resource manager. He retired as a senior master sergeant, the Daily Republic reported.
Rapfael Whiteside, an Air Force veteran who served from 1991 to 2011, summed up why he attends in the Daily Republic's 2025 coverage: "It is about the red, white and blue."
How Wednesday, Nov. 11 Runs
Since the parade doesn't wait for a weekend, the day follows a fixed clock. Here is the sequence the city has published for 2026, with the timing from past years filled in.
- 10 a.m., Downtown Theatre, 1035 Texas Street. The Commemoration Ceremony & Concert, hosted by Travis Air Force Base and conducted by the Fairfield/Suisun City American Legion Reams Post 182. In 2023 this part included an hour of music from Alive Music Orchestra and ran about two hours in total.
- Around noon, out to the street. In 2023 the crowd left the ceremony and found spots along the route before the parade began. The theater sits on Texas Street, and the parade finishes on Texas Street, so you won't have far to walk.
- 12:30 p.m., parade steps off. The route runs down Kentucky Street to Great Jones, then turns up Texas Street to Washington.
- After the parade, lunch on Texas Street. More on that block below.
Both the ceremony and the parade are free and open to the public. A 12:30 start on a Wednesday lands right in the middle of a workday lunch hour. If you're coming from an office, the parade fits into a long lunch more easily than the two-hour ceremony does.
The parade also tends to add something new each year. In 2023, organizers set up three Performance Zones along the street where entrants could stop to dance or sing, and an equestrian group brought dancing horses.
The Texas Street Block That Changed Since Last November
The downtown that 2026 parade crowds walk into after the last entry passes looks different from last year's. Shell's, a restaurant and bar at 721 Texas St., held its ribbon cutting on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, just before Monday Night Football, the Daily Republic reported. Its menu pairs Filipino comfort food with familiar American favorites. Owner Francis Aquino said he wants to build connections in Fairfield and get involved in the local business community.
"Shell's brings something unique to downtown Fairfield," Lisa Bonnington, president and CEO of the Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce, said when it opened.
Shell's is part of a group of newer businesses on the same block. According to the same Daily Republic story, that block also has these:
- Dumpling House
- Casa Agave Restaurant
- The Archers Den, an indoor archery tag arena
So on a midweek holiday, one block offers three different kinds of lunch plus an indoor activity for kids who still have energy after watching JROTC units march by. Shell's posts its menu and takes orders through its online ordering page, which is worth checking before a group shows up at 1:30 on a Wednesday.
Driving In From The West Side
If you're coming downtown along West Texas Street, the drive has changed too. On Wednesday, Oct. 21, the city switched on a new traffic signal at 2nd Street and West Texas Street, the city announced, and asked drivers to watch for pedestrians and cyclists while crews finish the final safety upgrades. In its Oct. 16 update, the city called the West Texas Complete Streets Project "almost complete," adding bike lanes, wider sidewalks and new landscaping along the corridor.
That signal is only a few weeks old by Nov. 11. Drivers who last took West Texas in midsummer, when the outside lanes between Pennsylvania Avenue and Beck Avenue were closed, will find a different intersection layout on the way in. The city hasn't published 2026 parade-day street closures or parking guidance yet. The Special Events Coordinator, Juan Segura, can be reached at [email protected] or (707) 428-7584.
Walking In It Instead Of Watching
The growing lineup comes from groups that sign up. The city takes entries from businesses, community groups, marching bands, car clubs and supporters. Entry fees vary, veteran and active military groups enter free, prizes go out in every category, and there's a $250 Sweepstakes Award. Applications are accepted by email, by mail or in person through the city's event page, and questions go to [email protected] or (707) 428-7584. The page listed the entry deadline as "Coming Soon" this fall, so call before you assume there's still room. With the parade set for Nov. 11, a neighborhood group, youth team or local shop that wants to join should contact the city soon.
The 2025 parade had 52 entries sign up. In 2026, the lineup steps off at 12:30 p.m. on a Wednesday, the same time it kept on a Tuesday and a Saturday.
At City 1st Realty, we think the best part of a community is the stuff that happens without a sale attached, like a free ceremony at the Downtown Theatre and a parade honoring veterans that steps off at 12:30 on a Wednesday. If you're thinking about your own next step here in Fairfield, from buying a first home to building a rental portfolio, we're glad to talk it through over lunch on Texas Street. Work with Us.
