How do you celebrate Memorial Day at work?

Keep it quiet and optional. Explain the day in a short note before the long weekend, invite people to the one-minute National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. local time, give time off to visit a cemetery, check in privately with veteran employees and offer a team way to give back, such as supporting Gold Star families through TAPS.

What do you do on Memorial Day?

Many Americans visit cemeteries and memorials, place flags or flowers on graves, attend a local parade or ceremony, pause for a minute at 3 p.m. and fly the flag at half-staff until noon. Plenty of people also spend the long weekend with family, which is fine; the remembrance is what sets the day apart.

What time is the National Moment of Remembrance?

3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day, for one minute. The National Moment of Remembrance Act, signed in December 2000, set it so Americans everywhere can pause together wherever they are.

When is Memorial Day 2027?

Memorial Day is the last Monday in May. In 2027 it falls on Monday, May 31, 2027, and in 2028 on Monday, May 29, 2028.

How long does the flag fly at half-staff on Memorial Day?

Only until noon. The US Flag Code says to raise the flag to the peak for an instant, lower it to half-staff for the morning, then raise it to the top of the staff at noon for the rest of the day.

Is it OK to say Happy Memorial Day?

Many people say it and mean well, but the day exists to remember people who died, and some veterans and Gold Star families find it jarring. At work, a line like "Today we remember those who died in service" is the safer choice.

What should a Memorial Day out of office message say?

Say that you or the office are out for Memorial Day, give the date you'll be back and name a contact for anything urgent. Keep it plain; there are eight ready-to-copy versions on this page.

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Remembrance

How to celebrate Memorial Day at work: 16 respectful ideas

Quiet, sincere ways to observe Memorial Day as a workplace, with notes and out of office replies to copy. No party games.

KraftyLab TeamUpdated Oct 20268 min read

An American flag at half-staff outside an office building as three coworkers stand quietly on the path nearby

The best way to celebrate Memorial Day at work is to treat it as what it is: a day to remember the service members who died for the country. Memorial Day 2027 is Monday, May 31, 2027, and in 2028 it falls on Monday, May 29, 2028. Below is what the day means, how it differs from Veterans Day, 16 respectful ideas for the Friday before and the day itself, the mistakes to avoid, and 11 messages ready to copy.

What Memorial Day is, and how it differs from Veterans Day

A few facts to get right before you plan anything.

Who it honors. The men and women who died while serving in the US armed forces. It is a day of remembrance and, for many families, of mourning.
Not Veterans Day. Veterans Day, on November 11, honors everyone who served. Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May, honors those serving now.
Where it began. After the Civil War it was called Decoration Day. In 1868 General John A. Logan called for decorating the graves of the Civil War dead on May 30.
Why it's a Monday. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 moved it to the last Monday in May, starting in 1971, which made the long weekend.
The 3 p.m. pause. The National Moment of Remembrance Act, signed in December 2000, asks Americans to pause for one minute at 3 p.m. local time.
The flag until noon. The US Flag Code says to fly the flag at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day, then raise it to the top of the staff.
The red poppy. Poppies have stood for the fallen since World War I, after John McCrae's 1915 poem In Flanders Fields.

Planning for November too? See how Veterans Day differs and how to thank living veterans at work.

Memorial Day dates for the next five years

2027Monday, May 31Armed Forces Day: Saturday, May 15
2028Monday, May 29Armed Forces Day: Saturday, May 20
2029Monday, May 28Armed Forces Day: Saturday, May 19
2030Monday, May 27Armed Forces Day: Saturday, May 18
2031Monday, May 26Armed Forces Day: Saturday, May 17

16 respectful ways to observe Memorial Day at work

Every one of these is optional for employees. Pick a few that fit your team.

Before the long weekend

Most offices close on Monday, so the workplace part of Memorial Day usually happens on the Friday before.

1. Explain the day in the Friday note. Two or three sentences on who Memorial Day honors and when the 3 p.m. pause is. There are three notes to copy below.
2. Offer a 3 p.m. calendar reminder. Share an optional one-minute hold for 3 p.m. local time on Monday that people can add to their own calendars.
3. Set out a bowl of red poppies. Paper or fabric poppies at reception, with a small card explaining why the poppy stands for the fallen.
4. Open a remembrance board. Invite anyone who wants to add the name of a relative or friend who died in service to a board or shared page.
5. Check in quietly with veteran employees. The weekend can be heavy for people who lost friends in service. A short private note from a manager is enough; don't ask for stories.
6. Give time to visit a grave. Let people leave early on Friday or take Tuesday off to visit a cemetery or be with family.

A coworker takes a red paper poppy from a bowl on an office reception counter beside a small card

If your team works on Memorial Day

Hospitals, stores, plants and support desks stay open. A few small choices keep the day respectful on shift.

7. Pause together at 3 p.m. Announce the National Moment of Remembrance over the PA or in the shift chat and stop for one minute.
8. Fly the flag at half-staff until noon. If your building has a flagpole, lower the flag in the morning and raise it to the top at noon.
9. Pay people who work the holiday. Offer holiday pay or a floating day off to anyone scheduled on Memorial Day.
10. Keep the calendar quiet. Move launches, all-hands meetings and team celebrations off the day itself.

Ways to give back as a team

Work through organizations that already serve the families of the fallen, and let each person choose whether to join.

11. Write tributes on the Veterans Legacy Memorial. The VA's online memorial has pages for veterans buried in VA national cemeteries. Each person can write a tribute to one from your area.
12. Help at a cemetery. Ask a nearby VA national cemetery or a local veterans post whether they need hands to place or collect flags at graves.
13. Support Gold Star families through TAPS. TAPS gives free grief support to anyone grieving a military loved one. Match employee gifts to it during May.
14. Walk with Carry The Load. Its Memorial May walks and events run across the country each May to honor fallen military and first responders. Join one as a team.
15. Share the National Memorial Day Concert. PBS airs it live from the US Capitol's West Lawn on the Sunday evening of Memorial Day weekend. Put the time in the Friday note.
16. Post your town's ceremony schedule. Many towns hold a parade or a service at a memorial. List the local times for anyone who wants to go.

Want a give-back activity your team can do any time of year? Our virtual volunteer opportunities list ways to help from home or the office.

What not to do on Memorial Day

Good intentions can still land wrong on a day of mourning.

Skip "Happy Memorial Day" in company messages. Try "Today we remember those who died in service" instead. The day is a loss for many families.
Keep sales and promos away from it. A Memorial Day discount in an employee email or a company post about your products reads as using the fallen.
Don't brand the cookout as the observance. A team barbecue the week before is fine. Just don't call it a Memorial Day celebration.
Save "thank you for your service" for Veterans Day. Memorial Day remembers people who died. Veterans are often the first to point out the difference.
Don't ask veterans to speak. Nobody should be asked to share a loss at work. If someone offers, let them lead.
Keep the flag off disposable things. The Flag Code advises against printing the flag on paper napkins, boxes or anything made to be thrown away.
Make nothing mandatory. The 3 p.m. pause, the board and the volunteering all work only when people choose them.
Check a charity before you give. Look it up on Charity Navigator, and give to groups that serve families of the fallen directly.

Memorial Day messages to copy

Plain and short. Replace anything in brackets.

A note to the team before the weekend

On Monday we mark Memorial Day, when the country remembers the men and women who died while serving in the US military. If you'd like to join the National Moment of Remembrance, it's one minute at 3 p.m. local time. Wishing you a restful weekend.
Our offices close Monday for Memorial Day. To everyone on our team who has lost someone in service: we're thinking of you. If you'd like time next week to visit a cemetery or attend a ceremony, talk to your manager.
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance, not only a long weekend. At 3 p.m. local time on Monday, many Americans pause for a minute in honor of those who died in service. You're welcome to join wherever you are.

8 Memorial Day out of office messages

The first four are for offices that close, the last four for when you're out.

Thank you for your message. Our office is closed on [date] for Memorial Day. We'll reply when we reopen on [return date].
We're closed for Memorial Day, a day to remember the service members who died for our country. We'll be back on [return date]. For urgent matters, contact [name] at [email].
[Company] is closed on [date] in observance of Memorial Day. Your message arrived safely, and we'll answer it on [return date].
Our team is out for Memorial Day and returns on [return date]. If something can't wait, call [phone].

I'm away through Memorial Day and return on [return date]. If it's urgent, [name] at [email] is covering for me.
I'm away on [date] for Memorial Day and will reply when I return on [return date].
Thanks for your email. I'm taking Memorial Day off to be with family and will respond on [return date]. [Name] can help in the meantime at [email].
I'm off on [date] for Memorial Day. Our office is open, so for anything time-sensitive, contact [name] at [email].

For the rest of the year's holidays, see our holiday out of office messages.