Veterans Day events, Marine Corps birthday party to close Center City roads this weekend

With a local race, the Veterans Day parade, and the Marine Corps birthday celebration, Center City streets will be booked and busy from Saturday through Monday.

The 2025 Rocky Run will shut down and reopen sections of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and MLK Drive by 2 p.m. Saturday. But, road closures for the parade to honor the nearly 700,000 veterans living in Pennsylvania don’t start until Sunday.

Authorities advise motorists to use alternative routes, but you can plan ahead and avoid delays. Here is the list of road closures for Veterans Day-related events:

The 11th Annual Philadelphia Veterans Parade kicks off at noon, between 21st Street and the Ben Franklin Parkway. More than 4,000 people are expected to attend, rain or shine, making their way to Eakins Oval for a festival with live music, games, food trucks, a beer garden, and a market.

Eakins Oval and sections of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway will close and function as temporary no-parking zones as early as 6 a.m.

Closing times vary depending on the area, but Eakins Oval will reopen to traffic by 5 p.m. Remember that not adhering to the temporary no-parking zones could lead to a courtesy tow.

No desire to drive around road closures? You can watch the livestream on ABC or take the bus, but be mindful of detours.

SEPTA routes 2, 7, 32, 38, 43, 48, and 49 are detouring for the parade between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. Additional route changes will be posted at septa.org.

The Marine Corps Birthday block party celebrates the Marines’ 250th anniversary on 2nd Street, between Market and Chestnut Streets, with food trucks, guest speakers, and community booths.

Sections of 2nd and Chestnut Streets will be closed to traffic and function as temporary no-parking zones.

For folks taking public transportation to work, bus routes 21 and 42 are set to be detoured between 5:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.