Memorial Day is Monday, May 31, 2027. The city's ceremony is at noon at the Tidewater Veterans Memorial; offices close, and Monday trash is unaffected.

Last checked Oct. 19, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Sources: the City of Virginia Beach’s 2026 Memorial Day ceremony notice and 2026 Memorial Day operating schedule, and the VBCPS 2026-27 calendar. The city posted its 2026 notices on May 18 and 19; until the 2027 ones are out, the details below are from 2026.

Memorial Day is Monday, May 31, 2027. Virginia Beach marks it with a free public ceremony at noon at the Tidewater Veterans Memorial, hosted by the mayor and the Mayor’s Committee for Veterans. City offices and recreation centers close, parks and beaches stay open, and trash pickup is not affected, because the city never collects on Mondays. Schools are closed.

Who to call

  • City information: VB311, 311 or 757-385-3111
  • Mayor’s Committee for Veterans: VirginiaBeach.gov/MCV
  • Police non-emergency: 757-385-5000; emergency 911

The Memorial Day ceremony

  • When: noon to 1 p.m. on Memorial Day
  • Where: the Tidewater Veterans Memorial, 1000 19th St., across from the Virginia Beach Convention Center. In bad weather it moves inside the Convention Center, and the city posts the change on its Facebook page and the Mayor’s Committee for Veterans page.
  • Cost: free and open to the public; it is also livestreamed on the city’s website and Facebook page

The 2026 ceremony featured music from the U.S. Fleet Forces Band, a reading of the names of honored veterans, a 21-gun salute by the Virginia Beach Police Department’s Honor Guard and a flyover, though the salute and flyover were dropped when weather moved it indoors, the city said. Military commands and organizations may lay wreaths, and anyone may place a small American flag at the base of the memorial to honor a relative or friend. To place a flag or wreath, check in by 11:15 a.m.

The Mayor’s Committee for Veterans plans the ceremony and runs the memorial paver program. To order a paver, visit VirginiaBeach.gov/MCV.

What is open and closed

From the city’s 2026 operating schedule:

Closed on Memorial Day

  • City administrative offices and all recreation centers
  • All public libraries, including the TCC/City Joint-Use Library (the Central Library also closed the Sunday before)
  • Circuit, General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations courts and clerk’s offices, and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office
  • Virginia Beach Animal Care and Adoption Center, the Health Department and the history museums
  • Waste Management offices and the West Neck Recycling Center

Open on Memorial Day

  • City parks and park facilities, including the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp and Beach Facility
  • Virginia Aquarium, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Virginia Beach Farmers Market (merchants set their own hours)
  • Visitor Information Center at Parks Avenue and the 17th Street kiosk, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Virginia Beach City Public Schools are closed Monday, May 31, 2027, under the 2026-27 calendar.

Trash pickup

No change. The city’s trash and recycling collections and the Landfill and Resource Recovery Center do not operate on Mondays, so Memorial Day does not move anyone’s pickup. See our trash and recycling guide.

The start of beach season

  • Lifeguards: on Memorial Day 2026 stands were staffed until 6 p.m. at the Oceanfront from 1st to 41st streets, the North End, Camp Pendleton, Croatan, Sandbridge and Little Island Park, with patrols until sunset.
  • Dogs: from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, dogs are banned from the sand and water in the Resort Area, Rudee Loop to 42nd Street, and allowed on the Boardwalk on a leash from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. North of 42nd Street and south of Rudee Loop, including Croatan and Sandbridge, dogs may be on the beach before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m., the city says.
  • Little Island Park parking fees start the Friday of Memorial Day weekend and run through Labor Day.

What this means for you

  • Arrive by 11:15 a.m. if you want to place a flag at the memorial.
  • Do city business by Friday; offices reopen Tuesday.
  • Keep your normal trash day.

Related: summer camps and pools and Fourth of July fireworks.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Virginia Beach Memorial Day ceremony?

The city holds it at noon on Memorial Day at the Tidewater Veterans Memorial, 1000 19th St., across from the Virginia Beach Convention Center. In 2026 it ran noon to 1 p.m. May 25 and moved inside the Convention Center because of weather. Memorial Day 2027 is Monday, May 31.

Is trash picked up on Memorial Day in Virginia Beach?

Memorial Day does not change pickup. The city’s Waste Management collections and the landfill do not operate on Mondays, so there is nothing to move.

What is closed on Memorial Day in Virginia Beach?

In 2026, city administrative offices, recreation centers, libraries, courts, the Animal Care and Adoption Center and the history museums were closed. City parks, the Virginia Aquarium (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and the Farmers Market were open.

Are lifeguards on duty Memorial Day weekend in Virginia Beach?

Yes. On Memorial Day 2026 the city staffed lifeguard stands at the Oceanfront from 1st to 41st streets, the North End, Camp Pendleton, Croatan, Sandbridge and Little Island Park until 6 p.m., with beach patrols until sunset.

Can dogs go on the beach in Virginia Beach on Memorial Day weekend?

Not in the Resort Area. From Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, dogs are banned from the sand and water between Rudee Loop and 42nd Street, allowed on the Boardwalk on a leash from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and allowed on other beaches before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m.