How many weeks until Memorial Day?

Memorial Day, the last Monday of May

Memorial Day is a US federal holiday to honor and remember the men and women who died while serving in the US armed forces. Many Americans visit cemeteries and memorials, place flags on graves, and attend services and parades. At 3 p.m. local time, the National Moment of Remembrance asks everyone to pause for a minute of silence.

The long weekend is also seen as the unofficial start of summer: many pools and beaches open for the season, and it is one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.

How the date is set

Since 1971 Memorial Day has been observed on the last Monday of May; before that it was held on May 30. Because it is tied to a weekday, the date moves between May 25 and May 31. In 2027 it is May 31, in 2028 May 29, in 2029 May 28 and in 2030 May 27.

How the countdown works

The big number shows the whole weeks left, and the line under it gives the exact weeks and days. Choose Days for the total in days, or the full counter for days, hours, minutes and seconds. The page counts down to midnight at the start of Memorial Day in your device’s time zone.

On Memorial Day itself the page shows the day instead of a counter, and from the Tuesday after it counts down to the next year. The list under the counter shows how far away the three big US summer holidays are: Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day. To count the weeks to any other date, use the weeks until a date calculator.

Memorial Day for the next five years

How Memorial Day is observed

By custom, the US flag flies at half-staff from sunrise until noon on Memorial Day, then is raised to full staff for the rest of the day. Volunteers place small flags on the graves of service members at national cemeteries, and many towns hold a parade or a wreath-laying ceremony. Red poppies, worn or placed at memorials, are a common symbol of remembrance.

For many families the weekend is also a time to be together, at a cookout or on a first trip of the season, while taking a moment to remember those who gave their lives.

Put the Memorial Day countdown on your Home Screen

1. Install Left on your iPhone and open Ahead.
2. Tap Add a date ahead, choose New date, name it Memorial Day and set Starts to this year’s date from the table above.
3. Add Left’s Ahead widget to your Home Screen or Lock Screen and choose the date in Edit Widget.

Because Memorial Day moves every year, add next year’s date once this one has passed. The Home Screen widget guide covers each step, and the countdown widget page shows the other styles.

Read more

• The best countdown widgets for iPhone
• Organise your dates in Ahead and Since
• Add a widget to your iPhone Lock Screen

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