How the Date Is Determined

Memorial Day always lands on a Monday, so its exact date changes a little each year.

Memorial Day is the last Monday of May, falling between May 25 and May 31. It honors U.S. service members who died in the military. The Monday placement is set by statute (a written law). So the holiday always makes a three-day weekend and never needs a Saturday or Sunday observance rule. Before 1971, it fell on a fixed date, May 30. Veterans' groups, including the VFW and American Legion, have often called for moving it back. They argue the long weekend waters down the day's meaning.

History

The holiday began as Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan issued General Order No. 11. He led the Union veterans' Grand Army of the Republic. The order called for decorating soldiers' graves on May 30, 1868. The first national observance was held that day at Arlington National Cemetery. Dozens of towns claim earlier ceremonies. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson named Waterloo, New York the holiday's birthplace. The name Memorial Day became official in 1967. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 (a law that moved several holidays to Mondays), effective 1971, moved it to the last Monday of May.

Traditions and Celebrations

Core traditions center on remembrance:

  • Volunteers place flags on graves at national cemeteries; soldiers place more than 260,000 at Arlington alone.
  • Flags fly at half-staff until noon.
  • The National Moment of Remembrance Act of 2000 asks Americans to pause at 3 p.m. local time.
  • Red poppies, inspired by the World War I poem "In Flanders Fields," are worn and handed out by veterans' groups.

The weekend also serves as the unofficial start of summer, with cookouts, pool openings, beach trips, and the Indianapolis 500, run on Memorial Day weekend since 1911. Note the difference: Memorial Day honors the fallen, while Veterans Day honors all who have served.

Planning Around Memorial Day

Federal and state offices, banks, post offices, markets, and schools close. Most schools are near the end of the school year. AAA regularly ranks the weekend among the year's heaviest travel periods. So book early and expect Friday-afternoon traffic. See how the long weekend falls this year on the 2026 holidays calendar.