Federal holidays
When is Memorial Day 2027?
The countdown runs to the start of Memorial Day in your time zone. The year menu shows 2026, 2027 and 2028.
Memorial Day 2027
215 days
| Date | Monday, May 31, 2027 |
| Weeks | 30 weeks, 5 days |
| Weekends before it | 31 |
| Business days (federal holidays off) | 146 |
| Memorial Day 2026 | Monday, May 25, 2026 |
| Memorial Day 2027 | Monday, May 31, 2027 |
| Memorial Day 2028 | Monday, May 29, 2028 |
Memorial Day honors the members of the armed forces who died in service. Since 1971 it has been the last Monday of May, under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed in 1968, and it appears with that wording in 5 U.S.C. 6103. The last Monday can fall from May 25 to May 31: Monday, May 25, 2026, then Monday, May 31, 2027, the latest possible date, and Monday, May 29, 2028. Being a Monday, it never needs an observed day and always makes a three-day weekend, traditionally seen as the start of summer. Everything on a federal calendar closes. Federal offices close. The Federal Reserve Banks close, so payments due that day move to Tuesday. The stock exchanges close. Post offices close, and since the Postal Service counts Memorial Day among its six widely observed holidays, there is neither regular delivery nor collection from blue boxes. A national moment of remembrance, set by Congress in 2000, asks everyone to pause for one minute at 3:00 p.m. local time.
Three-day weekends in a year
Long weekends
9
| On a Monday | Mon, Jan 18, Mon, Feb 15, Mon, May 31, Mon, Jul 5, Mon, Sep 6, Mon, Oct 11 |
| On a Friday | Fri, Jan 1, Fri, Jun 18, Fri, Dec 24 |
| Midweek holidays | 2 |
Dates computed and checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Memorial Day weekends, 2026 to 2030
| Year | Memorial Day | Long weekend | Next federal holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mon, May 25 | Sat, May 23 to Mon, May 25 | Juneteenth, Fri, Jun 19 |
| 2027 | Mon, May 31 | Sat, May 29 to Mon, May 31 | Juneteenth, Fri, Jun 18 |
| 2028 | Mon, May 29 | Sat, May 27 to Mon, May 29 | Juneteenth, Mon, Jun 19 |
| 2029 | Mon, May 28 | Sat, May 26 to Mon, May 28 | Juneteenth, Tue, Jun 19 |
| 2030 | Mon, May 27 | Sat, May 25 to Mon, May 27 | Juneteenth, Wed, Jun 19 |
The rule keeps Memorial Day within the last seven days of May. In 2027 it lands on May 31, the latest possible, so the long weekend closes the month; in 2026 it comes on May 25, the earliest. Since 2021 Juneteenth has filled the gap that used to run from Memorial Day to the Fourth of July.
Closures, institution by institution
Memorial Day is one of the simplest holidays to handle, because a Monday never shifts. The OPM tables give federal employees the day itself. The Federal Reserve closes its Banks, so automated clearing house payments and wires scheduled for that Monday settle on Tuesday. The stock exchanges close for the day. The Postal Service lists the day as a widely observed holiday in its Operations Manual: retail counters close, regular delivery stops and boxes are not emptied. The checker below confirms it for 2027.
Post offices (retail counters), Monday, May 31, 2027
Closed
Memorial Day
| Mail deliveryNo regular mail delivery; Priority Mail Express and some same-day packages can still arrive | Limited |
| Blue collection boxesNo collection from blue boxes (widely observed holiday) | Not collected |
| Banks (Federal Reserve calendar)Memorial Day | Closed |
| Stock market (NYSE, Nasdaq)Memorial Day | Closed |
| Federal officesMemorial Day | Closed |
The national moment of remembrance
A law passed in 2000 asks Americans to stop at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence, to remember those who died in service. Some events, broadcasts and public transport systems mark the minute. On the same day, the President traditionally lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, and the flag is flown at half-staff until noon.
Three-day weekends through the year
Memorial Day is one of the five federal holidays always set on a Monday, with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington's Birthday, Labor Day and Columbus Day; the 1968 act moved three of them there and created the Monday Columbus Day. Each one makes a long weekend every year. The six fixed-date holidays add more only when they fall on a Friday or a Monday after the weekend shift. The mini-tool under the summary counts the long weekends of any year from 2026 to 2030; Labor Day closes the summer that Memorial Day opens, and the federal holidays of 2027 list the rest.
Under 5 U.S.C. 6103, the holiday binds federal employees. Private employers are free to set their own schedules, but Memorial Day is one of the most widely given paid holidays in the private sector.
The countdown above counts down to midnight at the start of the Monday, with the business days left before the weekend; the year menu gives 2026, 2027 and 2028.