Memorial Day 2026

Dates in 2026

About Memorial Day

Memorial Day honours the members of the United States armed forces who died in military service. It is the last Monday of May, so it always falls between 25 and 31 May. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 moved it from its traditional date of 30 May to a Monday from 1971, together with Washington's Birthday and Columbus Day.

It is one of the eleven federal holidays listed in 5 U.S.C. 6103. Federal offices close, and many private employers give the day off, although the law does not require private employers to do so. As a Monday holiday it never needs a substitute day and always gives a three-day weekend, traditionally seen as the start of the American summer season.

Memorial Day is often confused with Veterans Day on 11 November, which honours everyone who has served in the armed forces. Veterans Day keeps its fixed date and, for federal employees, moves to the Friday or Monday when 11 November falls on a weekend; Memorial Day never moves.

Sources

• https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/
• https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title5/html/USCODE-2023-title5-partIII-subpartE-chap61-subchapI-sec6103.htm