The Quirino Grandstand has been the traditional venue for annual Independence Day activities as well as that of many Philippine presidential inaugurations since the 1949 Quirino inaugural. In addition, the grandstand has also been a site for many civic, religious, sporting, and political gatherings. It served as the main venue of the World Youth Day 1995 closing liturgy, the 2000 Gregorian Millennium New Year Celebrations in the country, the 2005 Southeast Asian Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and the concluding mass of Pope Francis's visit to the Philippines in 2015.