Marine Barracks

Wow! Here’s another awesome perk of living in the metro area! The parade was a great display of precision marching, joyous music and rifle flinging! IMHO there aren’t enough accolades for our dear men and women in the military. What an awesome group of selfless individuals! I liken it to teaching and other public service gigs… its pretty much a thankless, non-​paying gig, when you calculate the hours required and lives touched vs compensation received.
We reserved tickets online and the ticket (obtained via email) advised us to enter at Main Gate, 4 south. As we approached on foot uniformed Marines were everywhere answering questions and directing guests to the appropriate entry point. However, arriving «early», around 7:00, as the ticket encouraged does create a mind/​rear numbing wait time as the show doesn’t start till nearly 9:00:(Our seats were metal bleachers with a pad. Once seated it’s not very easy to get down out of the bleachers without inconveniencing everyone around you. I adore little ones but would NOT recommend bringing an under 8 year old. On this, the last parade of the season, guests were shown their space on the bleacher and later asked to squish together to accommodate what may have been a higher than usual crowd level. Our seats were in the «end zone» and my view of the field was somewhat obstructed due to the bleacher rails. We took metro so I can’t speak about the reserved parking and shuttle service.
On site there is a gift shop, free water and restrooms available with easy access. All in all a beautiful evening (temps in the 70’s!) but one I probably won’t do again unless we have out of state visitors.

We stumbled upon this amazing house while walking around the neighborhood before brunch on a Friday morning. We had no idea it was even here, but it’s impressive stature drew us to it immediately. We stopped to take a few photos in front near the fence line. Just then a kind, fully uniformed marine came out of the little security booth from the corner of the property to tell us that we could take pictures full on (we had been sort of angling and taking just the view down the street out of respect). He also told us some history of the building and its location, and answered a few questions that we had.
We didn’t know about the parade, and it was the middle of winter, so it was the wrong season anyhow. But I can assure you that on our return visit to DC the parade will be a must for us for sure.

This was a great experience overall and is definitely a hidden gem in Eastern Market that not a lot of people know about. The only reason we discovered it is because we were walking home one night, we lived close by over the summer, and saw the huge crowd and asked what was going on and then we able to go the to the following parade.
The President’s band performed and they were excellent. They are the top band in the country and have a unique position in their performances for such important events.
I recommend getting there a little early, especially during the summer where there are peak visitors and making sure you a dressed relatively nicely. You don’t have to go all out but a nice outfit is important as a sign of respect and for the type of even itself.
Also, it is a tad bit of a long performance so leave the afternoon open when you attend. The people are extremely hospitable and even provide water for guests. Great event for the family to attend together and learn a little something about the country!

Got tix to the Silent Drill from a friend. I believe it’s Tues and Fri nights in the summertime. This is a wonderful opportunity to witness the rifle platoon (and band!). Very humbling, unique experience to DC… definitely do this.

I agree with previous reviewers that this is a hidden gem in DC. Not that many people seem to realize that there are parades open to the public. The evening parade offered in the summer is a great activity for people that live in and around DC and for those that are visiting. Also, it’s FREE! You can’t beat that.
I do recommend reserving tickets ahead of time to get better seats (facing the middle of the field). We ended up sitting at the end of the field (I guess because we reserved our tickets later?), although there really wasn’t much enforcement so I think we could’ve sat in the middle section which still had plenty of open seats when we got there. Given that it was our first time and we weren’t sure exactly what to do, we just went with the end and tried to sit as high as possible.
The event is well-​organized — there are metal detectors that you’ll have to go through, but they’re pretty quick at getting everyone through. Also, given that the shows are in the summer, they have water and bathrooms available for everyone.
The parade was great — there is a lot of waiting and the bleachers get crowded, but the show is worth it. My dad, who is fiercely patriotic, really enjoyed seeing all the demonstrations and was stomping along to the music played by the band and the drum and bugle corps.
The silent drill platoon is one of the best parts. They’re incredibly impressive. Also, watching the colors being retired and the bugle player on the roof playing taps is very cool. Overall, I really enjoyed it and think local residents (and their visitors) should definitely take advantage of being so close to «the Oldest Post of the Corps!»
P. S. My boyfriend was ready to take home «Chesty,» the official mascot of the barracks!

Jon– Full disclosure: I am a Marine who might have a bit of a bias for snappy displays of martial pageantry. So I’ll try to write from the point of view of someone who has never heard of the sharp fellows at 8^th & I.. .
The Evening Parade is probably one of DC’s hidden gems. Everything is sharp and precise, from the creases of the Marines’ trousers to the unnaturally straight columns of Marines marching in. For about an hour, you’ll hear a lot of big brassy tunes (I’ve never heard Ode to Joy played quite like THAT before.. .) from the two Marine bands in residence, see a lot of Marines marching with polished rifles and blindingly bright swords (swords? yes, swords.). There is something in the brain that delights in watching the inhumanly precise synchronization of these guys as they go through their marching routine. And of course, the cannons going off are pretty cool too. Cannons? You’ll have to see it for yourself.. .
If you have a friend that works there, badger him or her for tickets and an invite to either the Staff NCO Club or the Officers’ Club. It’s really worth it. My friends and I had a great time knocking back a few drinks in the Marines’ classy digs, which featured a bugler tooting his bugle to announce that the bar and buffet were open, drinking songs around the bar, and passing by President Clinton’s unpaid bar tab nailed to the wall by the bathroom for all to see (true stroy).
If you don’t know anyone that works there, fear not. If you plan ahead and hit the website on the Unilocal page, you can reserve tickets ahead of time. It’s really a great time and off the beaten path!

Semper Fi Marines!

We have been to this three times with friends that come in from out of town. Not alot of people have heard about this but let me tell you it is INCREDIBLE! Each time I have been equally impressed. We sat in the same area 2 of the 3 times and the 3^rd time we stood in line to try and get tickets and were able to. We did end up sitting at the end on the bleachers and it was a different perspective than we had had in the past. The one great thing about the end is when the Evening Parade is over they march to the bleachers and turn with amazing precision to leave the parade field. Very Impressive. Seeing the Silent Drill team is harder from this side but you are able to see and are in awe of what they are able to do. The very end of show they lower the flag and a lone bugler plays Taps. Will definitely go again when given the opportunity!
This is something that I suggest to friends when they say they are visiting DC. I do not suggest taking young children.

Listen up, hipsters: this place is cool. I know you’re cool, and you’re too cool to enjoy a celebration of imperialist military power. Sure, you hang out in cafes, wringing hands over the waste of national treasure on an aggressive military that enriches military contractors and advances corporate interests in third world backwaters. That’s fine. HOWEVER, you should not over look this display of pride, history, and discipline that is put on every Friday night in the summer at the Marine Barracks on 8^th Street SE. Regardless of how you feel about the military, this is neat.
This is a Washington tourist institutions that is full of folks who just got off the bus as part of their VFW vacation package, and is overlooked by the many transplanted workers who have adopted this as their town. It is really neat. The precision and discipline of the soldiers is impressive. They also engage the crowd before and after the performance with funny stories, cheers, and inter-​crowd rivalries. So, yeah, that isn’t the coolest part of the evening, but the overall impression is good and fun.
The show opens with the Marine band playing Springfield Elementary band director’s favorite John Phillip Sousa pieces. The music is fine, but the horns blasting in your face are the good part.
The best part is when the Marines line up to do the gun-​twirling thing they do in those Marines commercials. So cool. Super precise timing and without a single noticeable mistake, these guys wield these weapons with incredible coordination and skill, at one point passing them off to one another so fast you’re sure one is going to drop or fly into the audience and behead a child. Very cool.
I wlll say that I lucked out and had great seats right in the center of the performance because of a government connection. I’m not sure what it would be like sitting in the bleachers, which are kind of far away from the action and off-​center. I also can’t give you any advice on getting tickets, as this seems to be a popular event with tourists and people lined up a long time in advance to get them. It looks like you can make reservations online for tickets. The show starts at 8:45 every Friday night in the summer.
Highly recommended summer activity, and great if you have guests (especially older guests or families with kids) in from out of town.