NORFOLK, Va. — "The common good of freedom."
This week, Hampton Roads continues to celebrate the alliance with the annual Norfolk NATO Festival.
It's the longest continuously running festival in the Hampton Roads region, and the only one of its kind in the United States which honors the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Dating back to 1951, when it was called the Azalea Festival, the Norfolk NATO Festival as it has been called since 2009 honors and promotes the international influence of NATO's only headquarters in North America.
This year marks the 74th anniversary of the NATO alliance.
This June will mark the 20th anniversary of NATO's Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk.
And, following Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as of this April 4, Finland became NATO's 31st member nation.
Clearly, there is much to celebrate.
"The war in Ukraine strengthened the resolve, if anything else, it's made the alliance stronger," U.S. Army Major General Tony Wright said, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Policy for NATO Allied Command Transformation.
"The work that ACT does here preparing NATO for the future, I believe this headquarters is critical for the alliance itself and for security of the U.S. and our relation with the Euro-Atlantic region."
Sweden will become NATO's 32nd member nation once all allies have ratified its accession protocol. Turkey and Hungary have yet to officially approve.
Norfolk NATO Festival kicks off Thursday with the flag-raising at Scope Plaza at 5 p.m., followed by the Parade of Nations in downtown Norfolk and the International Village at Town Point Park on Saturday.
All events are free and open to the public.