What’s open and closed on Memorial Day

A shopper moves past a display of items in a Costco warehouse Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Sheridan, Colo. As many Americans celebrate Memorial Day on Monday, May 27, 2024, there are several stores, government offices and businesses that will be open or closed.(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

In what had long been celebrated every May 30 to honor America’s fallen soldiers, Memorial Day officially became a federal holiday in 1971, observed on the last Monday in May.

Businesses increasingly have chosen to stay open on the holiday, leading to what is now one of the biggest retail sales and travel weekends of the year.

Here’s what is open and closed this year on Memorial Day:

GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS

Government offices, post offices, courts and schools are closed.

BANKS AND STOCK MARKET

US stock markets and banks are closed Monday.
Most FedEx and UPS pickup and delivery services will also not be available on Memorial Day.

RETAILERS

Warehouse membership club Costco said it would close on Memorial Day, but the vast majority of retailers will be open, with many trying to lure customers with big promotional sales. Hours may vary by location.

TRAVEL

Memorial Day is also considered the unofficial opening of the summer travel season. Auto club AAA projects 43.8 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the holiday travel period, an increase of 4 percent from last year. If those projections are accurate, that would come close to 2005’s record of 44 million Memorial Day weekend travelers.

AAA projects 38.4 million people will travel by car over the weekend — the highest number for that holiday since AAA began tracking it in 2000 — and that another 3.5 million people will travel by air.

WHY IS MEMORIAL DAY CELEBRATED?

It’s a day of reflection and remembrance of those who died while serving in the US military, according to the Congressional Research Service. The holiday is observed in part by the National Moment of Remembrance, which encourages all Americans to pause at 3 p.m. for a moment of silence.

Memorial Day is supposed to be about mourning the nation’s fallen service members, but it’s come to anchor the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of discounts on anything from mattresses to lawn mowers. (AP)