Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Things To Do In Stamford

STAMFORD, CT — The upcoming Memorial Day service/parade in Stamford 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 Stamford Memorial Day Parade and ceremony scheduled for Sunday, May 28, is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 27-29 this year.

Put on by the Stamford Patriotic & Special Events Commission, the parade will step-off at 12 p.m., from the Stamford Police Department. The route will go on Bedford Street, across Broad Street and continue on to Atlantic Street.

A ceremony in Veterans Park will be held immediately following the parade.

Korean War veteran Joseph Vasta, U.S. Navy, will be the grand marshal of this year's parade.

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.
• Darien Memorial Day Parade - May 29 at 10 a.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 Stamford 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 Stamford. Below are more ways to spend the weekend:

Cisco Brewers reopens

Cico Brewers at The Village — 4 Star Point — reopens on May 26. There will be a series of performances from local bands, and a rotating lineup of food pop-ups form local brands like This Girl Shucks; Dough Girls Pizza; Daniel's Food Truck ; Greek Style Grill; Tacos Flores; and Eishumaru Japanese Food Truck.

Grab a cold one at The Beer Garden

Enjoy live live music and bites from Joe's Food Truck at The Beer Garden at Shippan Landing, 290 Harbor Drive, on May 28.

Head to the beach

But don't forget your parking permit! More information on permits for Stamford's beaches and parks 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.