This year, Memorial Day — which takes place on the last Monday in May — falls on May 25.
The holiday is considered by many to be the unofficial start of summer, as people pack their bags, fire up their barbecues, and get ready for some good times. Roughly 90% of all civilian workers receive a paid holiday on Memorial Day.Â
As with most federal holidays, public institutions — including banks, schools, post offices, libraries, and federal offices — are typically closed.
What’s closed on Memorial Day?
Federal, state, and city government offices and buildings are typically closed on Memorial Day, as are federal courts.
The U.S. Postal Service will be closed and will not deliver mail on the holiday.
The Federal Reserve System will be closed, along with most banks. ATMs and online banking will remain open, and cryptocurrencies will remain tradable.
Financial markets
The stock and bond markets will be closed on Memorial Day, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market.
The bond market will close early at 2 p.m. on the Friday before the weekend, and there’ll be no trading on Memorial Day, according to Sifma. However, currency markets are open on Memorial Day, and trading is expected to be light.
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Some retailers and delivery companies
Some retailers will be closed for the holiday. Costco is closed on Memorial Day, one of seven holidays the warehouse club observes this year.
UPS will be closed, and there will be no pickups or deliveries on Memorial Day, but UPS Express Critical service will continue to operate. UPS Stores may be open, depending on the location.
Service and delivery at FedEx will be closed, and FedEx offices may have modified hours.
Some institutions normally open to the public on Saturday will be closed that day to give their workers a three-day holiday. Public libraries in New York City and Houston, for example, will be closed on May 23–25.
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What’s open on Memorial Day 2026?
Many retailers and small businesses tend to be open on Memorial Day to mark the unofficial start of summer and to take advantage of a potential boost in sales. Across the country, cities from Washington D.C. and New York, to Chicago, Houston, and Sacramento will have parades, and some small businesses might be open along the parade routes.
Major retail chains
Most major retailers, including Target, Home Depot, and Lowe’s, are also operating normally. Still, check with your local grocer and retailer for their hours of operation.
7-Eleven and most other convenience stores and gasoline stations are also open. In cities and towns, local bars and restaurants might be open under limited hours.
Major grocery chains
Most large grocery chains are open on Memorial Day. Walmart, Kroger, and Trader Joe’s are operating on normal hours.Â
Public transportation
Mass transit in most major metropolitan areas will be accessible, although buses and trains may be running less frequently due to operating on a holiday schedule.
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Are cemeteries and national parks open on Memorial Day?Â
While the holiday offers time off for many Americans, and some stores and establishments will be open, Memorial Day is also a somber day of reflection for many. Family members and friends often visit the graves of loved ones who died in service.Â
The National Cemetery Association, a branch of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, will open its 157 national cemeteries, where more than 4 million Americans — including veterans of every American war and conflict beginning with the Revolutionary War — are buried. A nationwide minute of silence will take place at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day to honor the fallen.
Flags are placed by graves on the Saturday before Memorial Day. The VA provides a list of events during the three-day holiday weekend at 129 cemeteries, and some take place ahead of Memorial Day. The VA said that the events will feature wreath-laying ceremonies, commemorative speeches, the playing of Taps and other patriotic events to honor America’s interred service members.
The U.S. Department of the Army oversees the Arlington National Cemetery — considered the nation’s most hallowed ground because of major figures who are buried there, including two U.S. presidents and Medal of Honor recipients such as Audie Murphy, as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier — and 25 other cemeteries.
Some National Park locations will be open for the holiday. The National Park Service oversees some national cemeteries, and it commemorates the day with ceremonies, speakers, and music. Volunteers and staff place American flags on marked graves to honor the individuals who are buried there.Â
Memorial Day: Background and history
On a spring day in 1865, in Waterloo, New York, a druggist named Henry C. Welles watched as a lone widow walked to a cemetery and placed flowers on the grave of her deceased husband, who had died as a soldier in the Civil War.Â
Determined to ensure that those who had given their lives in service for their country would not be forgotten, Welles worked with Gen. John B. Murray, the county clerk who helped commemorate the event. According to the town’s website, Welles planned the first Memorial Day in Waterloo in 1866.Â
The tradition, originally known as Decoration Day, continued, and on May 26, 1966, as a centennial celebration of the event, President Lyndon Johnson named Waterloo the official birthplace of Memorial Day. It was later declared a national holiday in 1971.
However, three southern cities also claim the origin of Memorial Day. Charleston, South Carolina, honored Union Army soldiers who were buried at a war prison on May 1, 1865.Â
Memorial Day was also believed to have started on April 26, 1866, in Columbus, Georgia, where the Ladies’ Memorial Association in Columbus wrote a letter to newspapers across the country asking people to come together to pay homage to the fallen soldiers from the American Civil War, according to the National Infantry Museum.
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Memorial Day & travel: Info from AAA
Many Americans venture from their homes to celebrate the long holiday weekend. Flights are booked, and airports become busy.Â
People are also likely to drive out, and the American Automobile Association, a federation of motor clubs across the country that counts more than 60 million members, expects millions of Americans to travel.Â
Travelers who head at least 50 miles from their homes over the Memorial Day weekend are projected to reach a record 45 million, according to the American Automobile Association.Â
Breaking it down, 39.1 million are expected to travel by auto, 3.66 million by air, and 2.22 million by other modes of transportation. Last year, a total of 44.8 million people traveled.
This weekend of increased automobile traffic comes just as drivers are paying more at the pump. The national average price for gas was around $4.50 a gallon in mid-May 2026. On Memorial Day 2025, the national average for regular gasoline was about $3.17 per gallon.
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