What's open and closed on Memorial Day?
Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, is about as complete a shutdown as the calendar gets. Banks, the post office, the stock and bond markets, UPS, FedEx, federal offices, and schools are all closed, and most cities take the day for trash collection too. The exceptions are the visitor side of the federal government — national parks and national cemeteries are open, and many hold ceremonies — and the two emergency freight services, UPS Express Critical and FedEx Custom Critical, which run every day of the year. All fifty state DMVs close.
Two details are worth planning around. The bond market closes early, at 2pm ET on SIFMA's recommendation, on the Friday before the holiday, while stocks run their full session to 4pm ET that day. And because Memorial Day is always a Monday, the collection slide runs the whole week where cities observe it: Monday's route on Tuesday, and every day after pushed one, so a Friday route can land on Saturday. For shipping, a Thursday hand-off beats a Friday-afternoon one — nothing moves between Saturday's last pickup and Tuesday morning.
| Year | Falls on | Observed |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Monday, May 25, 2026 | Same day |
| 2027 | Monday, May 31, 2027 | Same day |
| Who | Status |
|---|---|
| Banks | Closed — one of the most completely observed days on the Federal Reserve calendar; branches reopen Tuesday, and weekend deposits post that day. |
| Mail & the Post Office | Closed — no delivery, no window service, no collection pickups; the Saturday before runs as usual and mail resumes Tuesday. |
| The Stock Market | Closed — a full holiday for NYSE and Nasdaq, with trading back at 9:30am ET Tuesday. |
| The Bond Market | Closed — and the Friday before is a 2pm ET early close on SIFMA's recommendation, while stocks run to 4pm ET that day. |
| UPS | Closed — no pickup, delivery, or drop-box collection; deliveries due Monday land Tuesday, and Express Critical is the exception that runs. |
| FedEx | Closed — no pickup or delivery; FedEx Custom Critical runs, and Home Delivery runs the Saturday before in most areas. |
| Federal Offices | Closed — the office side shuts, from Social Security to passport agencies, while national parks and national cemeteries stay open for the day's ceremonies. |
| Trash Pickup | Varies by city — Memorial Day is one of the six holidays most collection calendars observe, and where it is the whole week usually runs a day behind. |
| Schools | Closed — nearly every district takes the day, and some add the Friday before for a four-day weekend. |
Questions people ask
Does the stock market close early the Friday before Memorial Day?
No — stocks run the full session to 4pm ET. It's the bond market that goes short that Friday, closing at 2pm ET on SIFMA's recommendation.
If my trash pickup is Monday, when does it run?
Most often Tuesday, with every later day of that week pushed one as well, so a Friday route can land on Saturday. Some cities skip the week's Monday collection instead and resume the following week — your city or hauler's notice says which.
Are national parks and cemeteries open on Memorial Day?
Yes — parks and national cemeteries are open to visitors and many hold ceremonies. It's the office side of the federal government, from Social Security field offices to passport agencies, that closes.