Memorial Day Weekend 2024: Events, Parades Around Montgomery County

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — The upcoming Memorial Day services and events in Montgomery County are part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

Events in the metro include the flag display at Arlington National Cemetery, a parade in Washington, D.C., Gaithersburg's flag display and more.

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

Here are some ways to spend the weekend:

City of Gaithersburg Memorial Day Observance: on Thursday, May 30, at 11 a.m. at Christman Park, 304 West Deer Park Road in Gaithersburg. The public is invited to a tribute of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The guest speaker is retired Navy Commander Robert Carlisle, United States Navy Reserve. The Cadet Color Guard of Gaithersburg High School will present the colors, Chloe Jackson, American University junior, will perform the national anthem, and “Taps” will be played by Abigail Namikisa of the Gaithersburg High School Band.

Flags for Our Heroes, featuring a giant display of American flags, returns to the lawn at Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm, Friday, May 24 through noon on Monday, May 27. A formal opening ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 25 at 11 a.m. There will be a flag retirement ceremony on Sunday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the park next to Gaithersburg High School.

City of Rockville – Memorial Day Ceremony and Parade, is set for Monday, May 27, starting at 9 a.m. with a musical tribute by the Rockville Concert Band and Chorus; a ceremony at 9:30 a.m.; and the parade begins at 10:30 a.m. at Rockville Town Center. This year's Grand Marshal is Stephen P. Johnson of Silver Spring, an Air Force veteran and a historian at the Department of Defense’s POW/MIA Accounting Agency, where he works to provide the fullest possible records and accounting of missing personnel to their families and the nation.

Rockville's Hometown Holidays Music Fest is set for Saturday-Sunday, May 25-26, with free concerts from noon to 7 p.m. each day at RedGate Park, 14500 Avery Road in Rockville. Hometown Holidays will include kid’s activities and food and drink vendors. More information about Hometown Holidays is available at www.rockvillehth.com.

Greenberg-Lerner Post 692 of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA. Sunday, May 26, at 2:30 p.m., Bender Jewish Community Center, 6125 Montrose Road in Rockville. There will be a wreath-laying ceremony. The keynote speaker will be Colonel Frank Cohn, a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II who also served in Vietnam. Names will be read of fallen heroes of Post 692. Music will be provided by Voices of Vets. Light refreshments will be served.

Jewish War Veterans Post 360, American Legion Post 268 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2562 Ceremonies. Monday May 27, at 11 a.m., Wheaton Veterans Urban Park, 11200 Amherst Ave., Wheaton. The event will feature a guest speaker and services. A light lunch will be offered to all who attend at Post 268. Seating is limited at the ceremonies. It is suggested that attendees bring a folding chair if needed.

Other DC area events include:

• “Flags In” at Arlington National Cemetery on May 23
• Memorial Day Weekend at the National Museum of the United States Army on Fort Belvoir from May 24 to 27
• National Memorial Day Concert on U.S. Capitol grounds at 8 p.m. on May 26
• Flowers of Remembrance Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on May 26
• Rolling to Remember on May 26
• National Memorial Day Parade in DC at 2 p.m. on May 27
• Military Women’s Memorial 27th Annual Memorial Day Program on May 27
• 2024 Memorial Day Ceremony at The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in D.C. from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on May 27

The history of Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, dates back to 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan called for a day of remembrance to honor the Northern lives lost amid battle during the Civil War that had ended just a few years earlier, according to History.com. As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

Until World War I, the holiday honored only those soldiers who died while fighting for the Union in the War, as Southern states honored their war dead on a separate day. After the 116,000-plus American deaths in World War I, the tradition changed to remember all who have died while serving 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.