Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Observance, More Events Around Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA — The upcoming Memorial Day remembrance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery is part of a tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The National Memorial Day Observance on Monday, May 29 at 11 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery's Memorial Amphitheater is part of a three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 27-29 — this year.

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

Memorial Day Weekend is also the unofficial kickoff to summer in and around Arlington. Below are more ways to spend the weekend:

• On Memorial Day weekend, Fashion Centre at Pentagon City will offer special Military Spouse Appreciation giveaways. Active and retired military personnel and their families can visit the second level of Macy’s to receive a special military appreciation wristband.
• Military Women's Memorial Memorial Day Program, Monday, May 29 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, the Military Women’s Memorial honors and tells the stories of women, past and present, who serve our nation.
• Falls Church Memorial Day Parade and Festival is scheduled for Monday, May 29. The event features all-day festivities at City Hall and Community Center grounds, 300 Park Avenue. The parade at 2 p.m. will be preceded by a 3K Fun Run at Great Falls Street and Little Falls Street at 9 a.m., followed by an 11 a.m. Memorial Day Ceremony and 12:30 p.m. performance by the Falls Church Concert Band.
• National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., May 29, Constitution Avenue at 2 p.m. The parade will honor the service and sacrifice of generations of Americans.
• The USAA Poppy Wall of Honor, a temporary installation honoring the more than 645,000 American servicemembers who gave their lives in service to the nation since World War I, on the National Mall at the base of the Lincoln Memorial between the Reflecting Pool and Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C. from Friday, May 26 to Sunday, May 28.

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.