Chicago Memorial Day Parade and Wreath Ceremony

Chicago will mark Memorial Day on Saturday, May 23, with a wreath-laying ceremony at Richard J. Daley Center Plaza followed by its annual downtown parade, according to the City of Chicago and Choose Chicago. The ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. at 50 W. Washington St. The parade is set to begin at noon. City listings say the observance honors U.S. service members who died in military service. (chicago.gov) The event is one of Chicago’s annual public Memorial Day observances and is listed as free in city tourism and event guides. (chicago.gov) Choose Chicago included the parade in its 2026 festival and event guide and in its Memorial Day weekend roundup. Separate event listings say the procession will include veterans’ groups, active-duty service members, JROTC cadets, community organizations and marching bands. ### Where does the ceremony start, and when should people be there? Richard J. Daley Center Plaza, at 50 W. (chicago.gov) Washington St., is the stated site of the wreath-laying ceremony, which the city says begins at 11 a.m. on May 23. The City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events page says the ceremony comes first, before the parade steps off at noon. Choose Chicago’s event page repeats the same timing and location for the ceremony. The tourism agency’s listing describes the program as part of the city’s Memorial Day commemoration in downtown Chicago. (choosechicago.com) ### Which streets will the parade use this year? Dearborn Street is the route listed by the City of Chicago for the 2026 parade. The city says the procession will proceed from Lake Street to Van Buren Street after the noon step-off. (chicago.gov) Choose Chicago’s 2026 event page matches that route, saying the parade will move along Dearborn Street from Lake Street to Van Buren Street. That route differs from some older event pages and third-party listings that describe prior or separate years on State Street, underscoring that attendees should use the current 2026 city and tourism listings. (choosechicago.com) ### Who is expected to take part in the procession? Choose Chicago’s event listing says the parade will feature veterans’ groups, active-duty service members, JROTC cadets, community organizations and marching bands. (chicago.gov) The listing does not name individual units or performers in the excerpt publicly available through search results. The City of Chicago’s page describes the event as the city’s annual Memorial Day observance. Public event guides frame it as a commemoration of Americans who made what the listings call the “ultimate sacrifice” in military service. (choosechicago.com) ### Is this a city event or a tourism listing? The City of Chicago is the organizing authority named on the official event page, which appears under the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The city page provides the date, start times and route. (choosechicago.com) Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism organization, is separately promoting the event on its calendar and broader seasonal guides. Its listings direct readers to the downtown observance as part of Memorial Day weekend activities in Chicago. (chicago.gov) ### Where can attendees check for updates before May 23? Choose Chicago’s event page and festival guide both carry the May 23, 2026 listing for the Memorial Day Wreath Laying Ceremony and Parade. The City of Chicago’s event page also posts the ceremony time, parade time and Dearborn Street route. (chicago.gov) May 23 is the next scheduled date for the downtown observance, with the wreath-laying set for 11 a.m. at Daley Plaza and the parade set for noon on Dearborn Street from Lake Street to Van Buren Street. (chicago.gov) (choosechicago.com)