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On April 23, 2025, the Secretary of Homeland Security designated the 2025 U.S. Army 250th Birthday parade and festival occurring on June 14, 2025, as a National Special Security Event (NSSE). This event will be attended by the highest officials from all three branches of government as well as thousands of spectators. Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.5, beginning on June 9, 2025, the National Park Service (NPS) is imposing a temporary closure of, and public use limit in, certain designated parklands at George Washington Memorial Parkway, The White House and President’s Park, and National Mall and Memorial Parks in conjunction with 2025 U.S. Army 250th Birthday parade and festival as delineated in the attached map and as further delineated by fencing. These temporary closures will remain in place through June 19, 2025. These closures and public use limits come at the request of the United States Secret Service (USSS) based on their assessment and the implementation of the operational security plan. Less restrictive measures will not suffice to provide for public safety. Specifically, there will be temporary vehicle-access restrictions of the following locations beginning at approximately 3:00 a.m. on Saturday June 14, 2025, through approximately 11:00 p.m. on June 14, 2025, unless otherwise noted: George Washington Memorial Parkway
For certain areas affected by these closures, the USSS will be allowing the entry of both credentialed personnel and the public following screening measures as dictated by the USSS. Persons passing through these screening measures will be prohibited from possessing the following items: • Aerosols
• Ammunition • Animals other than service/guide animals • Backpacks, bags, and soft-sided coolers exceeding size restrictions (18” x 13” x 7”) • Bicycles • Balloons • Hard-sided coolers of any size • Drones and other unmanned aircraft systems • Explosives • Firearms • Flammable liquids • Folding Chairs or Camp Chairs • Glass, thermal or metal containers • Knives• Laser pointers • Mace/Pepper spray • Multitools (Leatherman, Gerber, etc.) • Packages • Range Finder • Razors • Recreational motorized mobility devices • Selfie Sticks • Signs exceeding size restrictions (20’ x 3’ x 1/4”) • Structures • Supports for signs and placards • Toy guns • Tripods and monopods • Umbrellas (umbrellas without metal tips will be permitted) • Weapons of any kind • Any other items determined to be potential safety hazards The Secret Service has determined that, with respect to signs and placards, there are security concerns that require that signs and placards be made of soft materials such as paper, cardboard, poster board, or cloth. Therefore, signs or placards made of wood, metal or other hard materials are prohibited for the duration of the closure. As noted above, NPS is also prohibiting supports for signs and placards (of any material) as these items may be used as a means of concealing weapons or as weapons themselves. Additionally, the prohibition on structures includes props, folding chairs, any type of displays such as puppets, papier mâché objects, coffins, crates, crosses (other than those worn as personal adornment in sizes consistent with jewelry), theaters, cages, and statues. It does not include signs and objects meeting the size and material restrictions, portable bullhorns, baby carriages and baby strollers that are in use for their intended purpose, wheelchairs and other devices for the handicapped that are actively being used by a handicapped individual. These restrictions are similar to the restrictions on the size, physical composition, and use of signs, placards and structures on the White House sidewalk set forth in 36 CFR 7.96(g)(5). These restrictions do not apply to items within the security footprint that are present prior to the USSS sweeps of the are provided that such items cannot be relocated from the location at the time of the USSS security sweeps. Unless otherwise noted, these closures and restrictions come at the request of the United States Secret Service (Secret Service) and are necessary to provide a secure perimeter with sufficient stand-off distance to protect participants, invited guests and attending public while they participate in the U.S Army 250th events. The temporary restrictions are also necessary to permit the Secret Service to perform security sweeps of the area, facilitate guest arrivals and departures, allow for security screening of attendees, and restrict unauthorized access to the surrounding area. The closures of Madison Drive, NW, and Jefferson Drive, NW, are based on a safety evaluation by the United States Park Police that such roads need to remain closed to vehicular traffic due to the danger posed to the anticipated high volume of pedestrians in the area and the inability of such roads to safely handle a large volume of traffic that would result from the Secret Service’s requested closures. Restricting public access to the Old Post Office Tower is necessary because the USSS has identified security and line-of-sight security concerns associated with the building’s overlooking the NSSE. Unless otherwise noted it is anticipated that USSS personnel will restrict public access and enforce the restricted items list from approximately 3:00 a.m. on June 14, 2025, through approximately 11:00 p.m. on June 14, 2025. These restrictions are necessary for a secure perimeter for sufficient standoff distance, and to enable the Secret Service to perform security sweeps and allow for security screening of attendees. These restrictions will remain in place for the festival, parade, and fireworks. Less restrictive measures will not suffice as evidenced by the Secret Service’s professional assessment that these measures are necessary to provide for safety. The public can access the following areas after security screening:
Beginning June 9, 2025, and continuing through June 19, 2025, it is further anticipated that Secret Service personnel will temporarily restrict public access in the above areas during the installation of anti-scale fencing. These public access restrictions are necessary during fence installation to ensure the safety of the public as well as the personnel engaged in installation. Once fence installation is complete in a specific area, public access will be restored until the above-referenced event-related public access restrictions begin at approximately 3:00 a.m. on June 14, 2025. A copy of the United States Secret Service’s letter and map dated June 6, 2025, is attached and incorporated by reference. This temporary and partial closure and public use limit is not of a nature, magnitude and duration that will result in a “significant alteration in the public use pattern.” Further, the public use limit and closure will not adversely affect the parks’ natural, aesthetic or cultural values, is not of a highly controversial nature, and does not require a long-term or significant modification in the resource-management objectives of any affected park. Rather, these closures are limited temporally and geographically as much as possible while still providing for the safety and security of this NSSE and still allow for public access to a significant amount of park land after security screening. Closures and public use limits such as these are commonplace for these types of public events at which heads of state meet with government officials and are necessary to provide the public with as much access as possible to park land while also providing for the security the Secret Service has deemed necessary for this event. Accordingly, the National Park Service determines publication as rulemaking in the Federal Register is unwarranted under 36 C.F.R. § 1.5(b). This is consistent with hundreds of earlier partial and temporary park closures or public use limitations, the legal opinion of the Office of the Solicitor, and judicial adjudications. Mahoney v. Norton, No. 02-1715 (D.D.C. August 29, 2002), plaintiff’s emergency motion for injunction pending appeal denied Mahoney v. Norton, No. 02- 5275 (D.C. Cir. September 9, 2002) (per curiam); Picciotto v. United States, No. 99-2113 (D.D.C. August 6, 1999); Picciotto v. United States, No. 94-1935 (D.D.C. September 9, 1994); Picciotto v. Lujan, No. 90-1261 (D.D.C. May 30, 1990); Picciotto v. Hodel, No. 87-3290 (D.D.C. January 26, 1988); Spiegel v. Babbitt, 855 F. Supp. 402 (D.D.C. 1994), aff'd in part w/o op. 56 F.3d 1531 (D.C. Cir. 1995), reported in full, 1995 US App. Lexis 15200 (D.C. Cir. May 31, 1995). Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.7, notice of this temporary and partial closure and public use limit will be made though media advisories, maps, fencing, and by posting at conspicuous locations in the affected park areas. Finally, pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.5(c), this determination is available to the public upon request. /s/ Jen Nersesian, Regional Director National Capital Region June 9, 2025 |
Last updated: June 13, 2025