Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Things To Do In Darien

DARIEN, CT — The upcoming Memorial Day service/parade in Darien is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The annual Darien Memorial Day Parade and ceremony scheduled for Monday, May 29, is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 27-29 this year.

Put on by the Darien Monuments and Ceremonies Commission, the parade will commence at 10 a.m., sharp from the Goodwives Shopping Center.

A commemoration ceremony honoring those who have lost their lives while serving in the armed forces will take place at 11:15 a.m. The parade will be live-streamed online here.

Post 53 will also be hosting their annual food fair on May 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Tilly Pond Park.

The event will feature live entertainment, games, ambulance tours, and a silent auction. Food tents from locally owned businesses will include Palmer’s Market, Smokey Joe’s, Fisherman’s Net, The Goose, and Michael Josephs.

The food fair raises money to support operating expenses related to patient care, continuous training, and community educational programs including Hands-Only CPR and Stop the Bleed classes.

Below are some other events and parades nearby:

• Norwalk Memorial Day Parade - May 29 at 10 a.m.
• Westport Memorial Day Parade - May 29 at 9 a.m.
• Stamford Memorial Day Parade - May 28 at 12 p.m.
• New Canaan Memorial Day Parade - May 29 at 9:30 a.m.
• Greenwich Memorial Day events - Memorial Day Weekend

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit Darien cemeteries and leave flowers at the graves of family members, regardless of whether they served in the military.

Memorial Day Weekend is also the unofficial kickoff to summer in Darien. If the weather allows, be sure to head to beach on Memorial Day Weekend, but don't forget your permit!

More information on resident beach permits can be found here.

The history of Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, dates back to 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan called for a day of remembrance to honor the Northern lives lost amid battle during the Civil War that had ended just a few years earlier, according to History.com. As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

Waterloo, New York, is considered the birthplace of Memorial Day. The town’s observance on May 5, 1866, predated Logan’s call for a day of remembrance. Local businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags.

Until World War I, the holiday honored only those soldiers who died while fighting for the Union in the War, as Southern states honored their war dead on a separate day. After the 116,000-plus American deaths in World War I, the tradition changed to remember all who have died while serving in the military.

Every year, a national moment of remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. No matter where they are or what they’re doing, Americans are asked to pause for one minute in silence to remember military personnel who have given their lives in service to their country. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the midday time was chosen because it’s a time when many Americans will be enjoying their freedoms on a national holiday.