Fact check: How many when the permits were paid for in 2024 did the army expect to attend the 250 anniversary celebration for the US army

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, the Army expected as many as 200,000 people to attend the 250th anniversary celebration parade ^{[1] [2] [3]}. However, none of the sources provide specific information about when permits were paid for in 2024 or what the expected attendance numbers were at that particular time when permits were secured.

The celebration featured 6,700 Soldiers in uniforms from the past and present participating in the Army Birthday Parade ^[4]. The actual event took place on June 14, 2025, but attendance fell far short of the early predictions of 200,000 attendees ^[2]. Multiple sources confirmed that the crowd was vastly fewer than the 200,000 who had been expected ^[3], though exact attendance figures were not immediately available ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question assumes that specific attendance expectations were established when permits were paid for in 2024, but none of the sources provide information about permit payment timing or attendance projections tied to that specific moment ^{[4] [1]}. This represents a significant gap in the available information.

The sources reveal important context missing from the original question:

• The event faced rain forecasts and protests that may have affected attendance ^[2]
• There was a notable disconnect between early predictions and actual turnout, suggesting either overly optimistic initial projections or external factors that reduced attendance ^{[2] [5] [3]}
• The celebration involved both a parade and festival components, which may have had different attendance expectations

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains an implicit assumption that specific attendance figures were established when permits were paid for in 2024, but this premise cannot be verified from the available sources. The question appears to seek very specific information that may not exist in the public record or may not have been reported in the analyzed sources.

Additionally, the phrasing suggests there was a single, definitive expected attendance number tied to permit payments, when in reality, attendance projections may have evolved over time. The sources indicate that "early predictions" of 200,000 attendees existed ^[2], but these may not correspond to the specific moment when permits were secured in 2024.