Instead of parades, concerts, or other public tributes, this Memorial Day will be marked by virtual ceremonies, live-streamed performances, and other socially distant activities.
Here’s how the organizers of annual Memorial Day events have adapted their programming this year.
National Mall wreath-laying ceremonies: Government and military officials typically gather at war memorials on the National Mall to lay wreaths in honor of fallen service members. This year, the National Park Service will post pre-recorded wreath laying ceremonies on its Facebook page and the pages of partner organizations on Monday.
- World War II Memorial: posts at 9 a.m. on the Friends of the National World War II Memorial Facebook page.
- Korean War Veterans Memorial: posts at 10 a.m. on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation Facebook page.
- Navy Memorial: posts at 1 p.m. on the U.S Navy Memorial Facebook page.
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial: posts at 1 p.m. on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Facebook page.
National Mall war memorials: All the outdoor memorials on the National Mall are accessible to visitors. Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst says that NPS staff will be monitoring all the sites and could temporarily close off areas if the crowds get too big, as they did earlier this month during the Blue Angels/Thunderbirds flyover. Staff will also enforce one-way traffic patterns at the war memorials to facilitate social distancing.
National Memorial Day Concert: For the first time in 30 years, the annual concert and tribute to service members won’t take place on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Instead, the event has been transformed into a 90-minute broadcast airing on PBS this Sunday at 8 p.m. (It’s also being live-streamed on Facebook, Youtube, and the concert’s website.)
The concert will feature both prerecorded and live-streamed musical performances, including various military bands and D.C.’s own National Symphony Orchestra. It’ll also include a salute to first responders in the coronavirus pandemic and messages from celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Jon Hamm, and Lisa Kudrow.
Memorial Day Parade: For the past 15 years, the American Veterans Center has hosted a Memorial Day parade along Constitution Avenue. This year, the parade will be replaced by a pre-recorded television special, “The National Memorial Day Parade: America Stands Tall” that will broadcast on Monday at 2 p.m. on a handful of major TV networks. The special will feature highlights from previous parades such as historical re-enactors, musical performances and celebrity appearances.
Arlington National Cemetery: The popular Memorial Day destination is only open to people with family passes this weekend, and only gravesite visitation is allowed. Those without passes can check out the cemetery’s recently launched online exhibit in honor of its centennial anniversary this month.
Rolling Thunder: During a typical year, hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists converge on the District to honor veterans and prisoners of war. (Last year was planned to be its last, before a veterans’ group stepped in to revive it.) This year, organizers are instead asking riders to ride 22 miles in their communities to draw awareness to the 22 service members per day who die by suicide. Organizers will air a two-hour program Saturday afternoon on social media, according to WJLA.
Mikaela Lefrak