2026 Chilean Military Parade
The 2026 Chilean Military Parade was held at O'Higgins Park in Santiago on 19 September 2026 to commemorate the «Day of the Glories of the Army».
The 111th edition of the Great Military Parade of Chile, it was the first presided over by President José Antonio Kast and involved 10,206 personnel from the Chilean Armed Forces, Carabineros de Chile, the Investigations Police of Chile (PDI) and Gendarmerie of Chile.
With more than 10,000 participants, the parade was the largest in 17 years and was described by Chilevisión as the second-largest deployment of the century. Among the main changes to the annual ceremony were the first participation of Gendarmerie, the return of the PDI after a seven-year absence, and the first participation of the Army's Military Labour Corps (Cuerpo Militar del Trabajo, CMT) with engineering machinery.
Background
The annual military parade is held on 19 September as the principal ceremony commemorating the Day of the Glories of the Army. The 2026 edition was the first held during the presidency of José Antonio Kast.
Preparations for the ceremony included several additions to the traditional parade. Gendarmerie was invited to participate for the first time, while the PDI returned after last participating in 2019. The Military Labour Corps was also included with engineering machinery to mark 50 years since the beginning of construction of the Carretera Austral.
Around 300 Army reservists were also scheduled to participate, together with Mowag armoured vehicles that had recently been used in emergency operations in northern Chile.
Parade
Kast arrived at O'Higgins Park aboard the traditional presidential Ford Galaxie and received the chicha en cacho offered by the Club de Huasos Gil Letelier. The opening ceremony included a cueca performance involving personnel from the armed forces and security institutions, including Gendarmerie for the first time.
Before the march-past, Kast, Defence Minister Fernando Barros and Army commander-in-chief General Pedro Varela presented the Army's Medal for Valour to seven service members for actions in which they had risked their lives while assisting others.
A total of 10,206 personnel participated: 6,219 from the Chilean Army, 1,252 from the Chilean Navy, 1,117 from the Chilean Air Force, 1,220 from Carabineros, 297 from the PDI and 94 from Gendarmerie. Of the total, 1,764 were women.
The ceremony lasted approximately three hours. Its aerial component involved around 60 aircraft, while the ground component included military schools, historical formations, motorized and mountain units, special operations personnel and the traditional mounted echelon.
First participation of Gendarmerie
The 2026 parade marked the first participation of Gendarmerie of Chile in the ceremony. A contingent of 94 members of the institution took part in the march-past.
The PDI also returned to the parade with 297 personnel after an absence of seven years, having last participated in 2019.
Another first was the participation of the Military Labour Corps with engineering machinery. Its presence commemorated the 50th anniversary of the beginning of construction of the Carretera Austral, a project in which the corps played a major role.
Foreign guests
The only international guest at the parade was Lieutenant General Oscar Zarich, Chief of the General Staff of the Argentine Army.
Zarich's attendance followed Varela's visit to Argentina in May 2026 for commemorations of the anniversary of the Argentine Army. During the parade, Varela described the two armies as maintaining broad and permanent relations through joint exercises and exchanges.