Get ready for a little patriotic revelry beneath the stars when the Marine Barracks on Eighth Street Southeast throws open its doors for its annual summer evening parade season next Friday, which has delighted Hill audiences for nearly half a century.

The fabled U.S. Marine Band — once led by John Philip Sousa — and the U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps will regale audiences with traditional all-American musical fare, ranging from “Stars and Stripes Forever” to the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

The evening parade takes place at 8:45 p.m. each Friday from May 14 to Aug. 27. Seating is by written (or faxed) reservation only. Fax requests to (202) 433-4076, or mail requests to Protocol officer, Marine Barracks, Eighth and I streets Southeast, Washington, DC 20390. Guests with reservations are admitted at 7:15 p.m. and should arrive no later than 8 p.m. At 8:15 p.m. unclaimed seats are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, call (202) 433-6060.

— Bree Hocking