Later that year, the quilt was displayed for the first time on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., during the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. It covered a space larger than a football field and included 1,920 panels. Half a million people visited the quilt during its first weekend on display. Since 1987, more than 12 million people have viewed the quilt in thousands of displays worldwide. The AIDS Memorial Quilt, which now includes more than 41,000 panels, is rarely exhibited in its entirety.
Panels are three feet by six feet.