Memorial Day Weekend 2024: Events, Parades In & Around Lawrenceville

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — The upcoming Memorial Day service/parade in Lawrenceville is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

On Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., join the community in honoring the brave service members who have sacrificed for the nation at Lawrence Township’s Memorial Day parade and ceremony. The parade will start at Lawrence High School and make its way through local streets, concluding at Veterans Park where a ceremony will be held to honor service members.

Below are some other events and parades nearby:

Princeton Parade, Continental Army Reenactment

The Spirit of Princeton Memorial Day Parade on Saturday at 10 a.m. is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 25-27 this year.
The parade begins at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Nassau Street and Princeton Avenue and travels one mile down Nassau Street to Monument Plaza. A brief ceremony will be held in front of Monument Hall at 11 a.m. There is a reviewing section in front of Nassau Presbyterian Church.
Following the Memorial Day Parade, reenactors, representing soldiers of the Continental Army, will be present in the area of the Thomas Clarke House from 1-2:30 pm to explain uniforms, weapons, and equipment and to answer questions from the public. They will also perform an 18th century military honor ceremony to commemorate those who fell at Princeton in 1777 as part of Princeton Battlefield Society's Memorial Day programming.
On the same day, you can also catch the Princeton University P-rade at 2 p.m. at Nassau Hall which passes through campus.

Hightstown Memorial Day Parade

When: Monday, May 27 - 9:00 a.m.Where: Starts in Hightstown Borough, Specific Route Details To Be AnnouncedWhat: Hightstown Borough will honor Veterans this Memorial Day with a parade led by a distinguished veteran serving as the 2024 Grand Marshall. This family-friendly event will offer a tribute to those who have served our nation, featuring community members, performers and Veterans.

Hopewell Borough Memorial Day Parade is on Sunday May 26.

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

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.

Waterloo, New York, is considered the birthplace of Memorial Day. The town’s observance on May 5, 1866, predated Logan’s call for a day of remembrance. Local businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags.

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. 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.