The Armed Forces Day Parade
McAlester has held a parade on the first Saturday in May since 1947. It comes through downtown, and the district is on the route.
Usually the first Saturday in May. The last one was 2 May 2026. The next one is not set yet.
McAlester has held an Armed Forces Day parade on the first Saturday in May since 1947, which puts it close to eighty years old. It comes through downtown and the district is on the route.
The day is more than the parade. There is a community luncheon, and a branch of the service is recognised each year. Military units and marching bands take part, and the parade opens with a flyover.
It falls on the same day as the spring Grillmarks festival, so downtown is busy from the morning.