Memorial Day Weekend 2024: 17 Things To Do Around Woodbridge

WOODBRIDGE, VA — The upcoming Prince William County Memorial Day Commemoration is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The Memorial Day Commemoration from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Monday, May 27 at the Sean T. Connaughton Community Plaza at the Prince William County Government Center is one highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 25-27 this year. The event will include a presentation of colors, brief remarks by Board of County Supervisors Chair Deshundra Jefferson, Prince William County Veterans Commission Chair Dr. Vanessa Gattis, County Executive Chris Shorter, presentation of a wreath by members of the Veterans Commission, performance by the Marsteller Middle School 8th Grade Bass Select Choir and playing of taps.

Below are some other events and parades nearby:

• Town of Quantico Memorial Day Weekend Fireworks and Music Concert: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on May 25
• Memorial Day Tribute Concert in Lake Ridge, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on May 24
• Memorial Day Weekend at Manassas National Battlefield: May 25-27
• American Legion Post 364 Memorial Day Ceremony and Picnic: 12:30 p.m. on May 27
• Memorial Day Flag Lowering Ceremony in Manassas Park: 1 p.m. on May 24
• “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
• Note: The wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on May 27 is by invitation only. Livestreaming will begin at 11 a.m. on May 27.

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

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

• Opening of Prince William County pools and SplashDown Waterpark: May 25
• Memorial Day Cookout in Montclair: May 27
• Dale City Moose Memorial Day Cookout: 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.

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.