Memorial Day Weekend 2023: 6 Things To Do In Tampa To Honor The Fallen

TAMPA, FL — The upcoming Memorial Day weekend, May 27 to 29, in Tampa is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit Tampa cemeteries and leave flowers at the graves of family members, regardless of whether they served in the military.

Every year, a national moment of remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. No matter where they are or what they’re doing, Americans are asked to pause for one minute in silence to remember military personnel who have given their lives in service to their country.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the midday time was chosen because it’s a time when many Americans will be enjoying their freedoms on a national holiday.

Below are some ways to commemorate Memorial Day:

Memorial Day Observance

The American Legion "U.S.S. Tampa" Post 5 invites the community to its Memorial Day event with a family-friendly environment to show support for the military's sacrifices. The two-day event begins with luminarias at 8 p.m., Sunday, May 28, and concludes Monday, May 29, with a memorial service from 11 a.m. to noon at the American Legion, "U.S.S. Tampa" Post 5, 3810 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa.

This year centers on "Be the One" to eliminate the stigma related to mental health treatment and, in turn, lower the number of veterans who die by suicide every day. This focus is in collaboration with the goals of the American Legion National Commander and Ellsworth "Tony" Williams (American Legion Post 5 member and Veterans Counseling Veterans founder).

Veterans Counseling Veterans Inc. is a veteran-led nonprofit providing training, education, advocacy, mentorship and service (TEAMS) to veterans and their families in the areas of mental wellness and suicide prevention. The number of veterans who die by suicide every day is estimated at between 17 and 22. The American Legion has elevated Be the One to be its top priority, empowering veterans, service members, their family members and civilians to act appropriately when a veteran may be at risk.

This event intends to bring more awareness to the problem while providing resources to those who may be able to help save the life of a veteran.

Sunday's luminaria observance requests that friends and family come out anytime after 8 p.m. and have a moment of silence at the cemetery after sunset. No official ceremony will be presented. The luminarias will be left out for visitations throughout the night as a symbol that the nation will never forget. Volunteers will set up starting at 5:30 p.m.

The memorial service is organized by American Legion Cemetery Corp. President Alyse Duffy and Terry Doan, American Legion Post 5 member and board member of the cemetery, will serve as the master of ceremonies.

The first guest speaker will be Emily Peake, district winner of the American Legion Oratorical Contest, a sophomore at Cambridge Christian School, who placed third in the Department of Florida Oratorical Contest as the youngest contestant.

The second guest speaker will be retired Lt. Col. Jeremy"Scooby" J.C. Shoop, a career special tactics officer who served with Special Operations Command for three decades, mainly as a plankholder with the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, an Air Force Special Operations Command unit.

The ceremony will include special guests from the Boys State and Girls State Delegations. The invocation will be performed by Col. Eric J. Albertson command chaplain for the U.S. Special Operations Command, responsible for providing strategic guidance on spiritual, religious and ethical matters pertaining to the force.

There will be vocal tributes by Gail Cooper, American Legion Unit 5 member. The raising of the flags to full staff will take place at the closing of the ceremony at noon to memorialize those who gave their lives serving.

Feel free to bring a flag Monday and show support by flag waving it along Kennedy Boulevard.

Wreath registration is available if a group would like to place a remembrance wreath during the post everlasting portion of the ceremony as part of the roll call. If any group would like to place their organization's personalized remembrance wreath in the ceremony, bring it to the registration table between 10 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. on Memorial Day.

Memorial Fest: Stars, Stripes And Music

4G Live Free will host a Memorial Fest: Stars, Stripes and Music Sunday, May 28 from 2 to 6 p.m. at Carrollwood Village Park, 4680 W Village Drive, Tampa.

Bring chairs and blankets for a full afternoon of music (No pop-up tents are allowed.)

Performing artists will include Shaun Hopper, The 4G Live Collective, Aiden Taylor, Cienna Alida, Shauna Solomon, Kimi Kady, Marlon Boone, Xavier Chisholm, Jay Brown, Geoffrey Rogers and John Mayeux.

The concert is free but donations will be taken to benefit Bay Area Legal Services, which provides free necessary civil legal aid for veterans to maintain stability after their service, fighting obstacles to their health, housing and productivity.

Donors will be entered into a raffle prize supporting local businesses.

Click here.

There will be an after party at Marlow's Tavern from 6 to 9 p.m. with musicians Shauna Solomon and Andre Lewis and from 9 p.m. to midnight with artists Kimi Kady and Mark Barrios.

The evening will include food and drink specials.

26th Annual Memorial Day Ceremony

Hillsborough County Consumer & Veterans Services and the Veterans Council of Hillsborough County invite the community to the county's 26th annual Memorial Day Remembrance at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 28, at Veterans Memorial Park, 3602 U.S. 301 N., Tampa.

As has become tradition at Veterans Memorial Park, the vibrant Garden of Gold flags will be erected in tribute to fallen heroes. This emotionally moving collection depicts the faces of more than 30 sons, daughters, sisters, brothers and spouses who gave their lives in service to the United States.

The event will feature:

• Brig. Gen. Stephen P. Snelson, deputy director of operations at U.S. Central Command as keynote speaker
• Fallen hero name-reading of Garden of Gold flags by American Gold Star Mothers Tampa Bay
• County commissioners and other community leaders
• A rifle salute, taps and patriotic music by the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps

Consumer & Veterans Services recently installed a sail shade covering the park's outdoor event amphitheater space to enhance visitors' comfort and protection from the elements.

Refreshments will follow the outdoor ceremony, and visitors are encouraged to visit the monuments.

Hillsborough County's Veterans Memorial Park is open daily from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m., with free admission and parking.
For more information, click here or contact Hillsborough County Consumer & Veterans Services at 813-635-8316.

Veteran-Civilian Arts Ensemble Showcase

On Saturday, May 27, at 6 p.m., Straz Center for the Performing Arts will honor fallen military members with a Veteran-Civilian Arts Ensemble Showcase in the TECO Theater.

This performance group consists of veteran and civilian musicians with the purpose to empower veterans to participate in an artistic experience that can support and enrich their wellbeing and aid their reintegration back into civilian life.

The performance is free. Click here.

Memorial Day Family Picnic

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4321 will host a free Memorial Day family picnic Monday, May 29, at noon at the post, 2010 W Morrison Ave., Tampa.

The post will serve hot dogs and hamburgers. There is a sign-up sheet for sides and desserts in the Canteen.

The event will include games for kids and a 50/50 raffle to benefit the VFW Auxiliary.

Click here.

Veterans Memorial Dedication

To celebrate the purchase of the historic Memorial Park Cemetery by the city of Tampa, The Cemetery Society will host a 100-year celebration dedication of the Florida Negro World-War Veterans Memorial, originally dedicated on May 30, 1923.

Prior to the dedication, the society, in partnership with Friends of Belmont Heights, will host a community cleanup at the cemetery on Saturday, May 27, starting at 9 a.m. The cemetery is located at 2225 E Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.