Rolling Thunder Fills DC: Full Schedule Of Events

WASHINGTON, DC -- The District will be a-rumblin' this weekend, as the annual Rolling Thunder ride rolls into town. AAA expects 900,000 motorcyclists -- veterans and non-veterans alike -- to arrive to pay tribute to fallen heroes this Memorial Day weekend.

This huge influx in riders nearly equals the number of people -- 940,000 -- that AAA expects to leave the D.C. area on Memorial Day vacation plans. The event starts at 5 p.m. Friday with a Blessing of the Bikes at the Washington National Cathedral, followed by a candlelight vigil at 9 p.m. at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

"The annual pilgrimage to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is expected to attract an estimated 900,000 veterans and non-veterans alike straddling motorcycles mounted with small POW/MIA flags flapping in the wind. During the 30th anniversary of the Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom, motorists must remember to safely share the roadway with bikers," the AAA said in a statement. "During the Memorial Day holiday weekend, waves of motorcyclists, as far as the eye can see, will participate in the annual Rolling Thunder procession to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C."

As a result, motorists may encounter delays and should consider alternate routes throughout this weekend, warns the Metropolitan Police Department.

Other highlights include the Memorial Day Concert that starts at 8 p.m. Sunday at the Capitol; plus a full slate of Monday ceremonies that include a WWII Memorial Wreath Laying Ceremony, a similar ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, observances at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and a National Memorial Day Parade that kicks off at 2 p.m.

Motorcyclists tend to be "over-represented" in crashes and fatalities, AAA notes, warning local drivers to be extra vigilant on the roads this weekend in recognition of that fact.

“Across the nation and around the Washington metro area, motorcyclists are disproportionately vulnerable to losing their lives and limbs in traffic crashes,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs, in the statement. “Although the average motorcyclist rides his or her bike between 3,000 to 6,000 miles per year, motorcycle riders and passengers are ‘about 27 times as likely as passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle traffic crash, and six times as likely to be injured,’ research shows.”

Rolling Thunder XXXI will begin Friday evening with a "Blessing of the Bikes" at Washington National Cathedral at 5 p.m. and a 9 p.m. candlelight vigil at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The official vendor site, Thunder Alley, will open at 22nd Street and Constitution Avenue NW all day on Saturday. On Sunday, bikers will rally in the Pentagon parking lot for the First Amendment Demonstration Run through the National Mall, followed by a Memorial Day concert at the U.S. Capitol.

On Memorial Day, there will multiple wreath-laying ceremonies at memorials around D.C.

You can get a full breakdown of the Rolling Thunder schedule at their website.

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)