What's Actually Happening in NYC on Memorial Day 2026 (May 25, Monday)
Every entry below is confirmed for Monday, May 25, 2026 specifically. Each has a primary source link. No Sunday carryover, no “the weekend generally,” no filler. Organized by borough and time of day.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn Memorial Day Parade Bay Ridge. Starts 11:00 AM at 78th Street and Third Avenue. Route runs south on Third Avenue to Marine Avenue, then north on Fourth Avenue to John Paul Jones Park for a memorial service: bagpipes, formal flag raising, wreath laying by veteran service organizations, and a 21-gun salute by the Veteran Corps of Artillery. 159th annual. Free. Source: brooklynmemorialdayparade.com
Urban Park Rangers: Civil War History Walk Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Heights. 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM. NYC Parks Urban Park Rangers lead a walk through Grand Army Plaza explaining the Memorial Day-related statuary and the holiday’s Civil War origins. Free. Registration required at nycgovparks.org. Source: nycgovparks.org/events/urbanparkrangers
Memorial Day Extravaganza at Pier 2 Brooklyn Bridge Park, 150 Furman Street. 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Outdoor event on the Pier 2 waterfront in Brooklyn Bridge Park, with views of the Manhattan Bridge and Lower Manhattan. Source: allevents.in
Green-Wood Cemetery Memorial Day Concert Green-Wood Cemetery, Fifth Avenue at 25th Street, South Slope. 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. The ISO Symphonic Band at Third Street, led by Music Director Paul Corn and guest conductor Brian P. Worsdale, performs on the cemetery’s lawns. 26th annual. Free with suggested $10 donation. Advance registration required. Source: green-wood.com | Tickets: Eventbrite
DanceAfrica 2026 at BAM Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Avenue, Fort Greene.
The festival runs across three formats on Monday, May 25:
Classes at Mark Morris Dance Center (3 Lafayette Avenue): 10:00 AM: Family Ugandan movement class. Adults $12, families $15-$25. 11:00 AM: Inclusive class led by Pat Hall. $12 in-person, $10 virtual. 12:00 PM: Ugandan rhythmic traditions. $12. Source: bam.org/danceafrica-classes-2026
Free Outdoor Bazaar: Streets around BAM. 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM. 150+ vendors offering African, Caribbean, and African American food, crafts, and fashion. Free entry. Rain or shine. Source: bam.org/danceafrica-bazaar
Performance: BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. 3:00 PM. Dance and music celebrating Uganda, featuring the Ndere Troupe and Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater. Tickets from $25. Source: bam.org/danceafrica26
RENEGADE MEMORIAL DAY The Brooklyn Monarch, 23 Meadow Street, Bushwick. 5:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Ten-plus hours of electronic music at one of Brooklyn’s main warehouse venues. Starts before most events open and runs through the afternoon. 21+. $45 to $66. Source: Eventbrite
Memorial Day Rooftop Party with DJ FATFINGAZ Time Out Market New York, 55 Water Street, DUMBO. 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM. DJ FATFINGAZ of the Heavy Hitters crew spins on the DUMBO rooftop with East River views. Patron, Grey Goose, and Santa Teresa cocktails. Giveaways and swag bags throughout. $15 all-day happy hour wristband upgrade available. Free general entry or $10 raffle entry. Source: Eventbrite
Disco House Coffee: Memorial Day Cafe Bossa, 925 Marcy Avenue, Bedford-Stuyvesant. 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Daytime DJ set at this small Brazilian-owned café and coffee shop. Disco and house music all afternoon. Free. Source: allevents.in
Elsewhere Memorial Day with sunflwr and veggi Elsewhere Rooftop, 599 Johnson Avenue, Bushwick. 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Outdoor rooftop event at Elsewhere, the multi-floor independently operated venue in a converted Bushwick warehouse. sunflwr and veggi are regular Elsewhere artists. 21+. General admission from $15; tiered tickets to $49. Source: Eventbrite | Also on DICE
Memorial: Last Jam Round 2 Cafe, Brooklyn. 7:00 PM to 2:30 AM. End-of-holiday music event at Round 2, an independent Brooklyn café and bar with a history of late-night community programming. Free. Source: allevents.in
The After Party: Memorial Day Monday MAMATACO, Brooklyn. 8:00 PM to 4:00 AM. Afrobeats, reggae, trap, soca, and hip-hop. Extended Memorial Day hours for this Monday-night regular. Free to $23. Source: allevents.in
AFRIQUE NYC: THE AFTERS House of Yes, 2 Wyckoff Avenue, Bushwick. 9:00 PM to 2:00 AM. The official afterparty for Everyday Afrique NYC at Nowadays (see Queens). Produced by Everyday People. House of Yes is an independently operated performance venue and nightclub in Bushwick. From $22.66. Source: DICE | Also on RA
Beaches: Brooklyn
All open for the season starting this weekend. Lifeguards on duty 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily through September 13. Free.
Coney Island Beach: Russian and Ukrainian families, long boardwalk, vendors, the energy of a neighborhood that has been coming here for a hundred years.
Brighton Beach: Adjacent to Coney Island, almost entirely Russian-speaking. Boardwalk vendors sell smoked fish, pickled vegetables, and baked goods.
Manhattan Beach: Quieter, at the eastern tip of the Coney Island peninsula. Sheepshead Bay and Gerritsen Beach locals.
Source: nycgovparks.org/facilities/beaches
Queens
Rockaway Beach Memorial Day Parade Rockaway Beach Boulevard between Beach 129 Street and Beach 130 Street. 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM. Free.
Rockaway Beach Open for swimming. Lifeguards on duty 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The A/C train (Broad Channel, then the S shuttle) or the Far Rockaway A train. Local surfers hit the water before lifeguards post. Boards available for rent on the boardwalk. Free. Source: nycgovparks.org/facilities/beaches
Jacob Riis Park (NPS Beach) Gateway National Recreation Area, Rockaway Peninsula. Lifeguards on duty 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. National Park Service beach with a 1932 Art Deco bathhouse. Less crowded than main Rockaway, no amusement strip. Transit recommended: Q35 bus from Flatbush Ave/Brooklyn College station, or Q22/Q35 from other points. Parking fills early. Free entry. Source: nps.gov/gate
Everyday Afrique NYC Nowadays, 56-06 Cooper Avenue, Ridgewood. 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Memorial Day edition of the Everyday People collective’s Afrique series. DJ lineup: mOma, Mohogany, Proper Edakit, Wemi, Love Bonez, DJ Spinelli and Milhouse. Nowadays is an independently operated outdoor venue in Ridgewood with one of the best sound systems in the city. Tickets from $35. Source: DICE
Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade Northern Boulevard between Glenwood Street and 244th Street. 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Organizers describe it as the largest continuously-held Memorial Day parade in the nation. Free.
Memorial Day BBQ at Partake NYC Partake NYC, 10-29 44th Road, Long Island City. 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Happy hour from 3 PM with classic BBQ food, indoor and outdoor space, and curated music. 21+. Free. Source: Eventbrite
Orchard Beach, Bronx Open for the season. Lifeguards on duty 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. 13 numbered sections with distinct crowd characters. Sections 7-9 are loudest and most local: salsa and merengue from speakers, vendors in the parking area. Free. Source: nycgovparks.org/facilities/beaches
The Bronx
Van Nest Memorial Day Parade Van Nest Avenue between White Plains Road and Victor Street. 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. Organized by the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance and the Bronx County American Legion. Ceremony at Van Nest Memorial Plaza. Free.
City Island Memorial Day Parade City Island Avenue between Winter Street and Pilot Street. 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. The entire island turns out for this neighborhood parade. City Island is accessible via the BX29 bus from Pelham Bay Park station. Free.
Staten Island
Staten Island Memorial Day Parade Forest Avenue from Hart Boulevard to Jewett Avenue. Community neighborhood parade. Free.
Staten Island Beaches Midland Beach and South Beach (Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk) open for the season. Lifeguards on duty 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Free. Source: nycgovparks.org/facilities/beaches
Lower Manhattan and Below 34th Street
Governor’s Island Ferry from Pier 11 (Wall Street) or Pier 6 (Brooklyn Bridge Park). Service begins 10:00 AM, runs every 15 minutes, last ferry 6:00 PM. First full day of the summer season on the island: open lawns, hammock groves, art installations, food vendors, car-free roads. Island access is free; ferry fare applies. Source: govisland.com
2000s vs 2010s Hip Hop Throwback Rooftop Party The DL, 95 Delancey Street, Lower East Side. 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Rooftop day party with classic hip-hop from both decades. The DL is a multi-floor venue with a rooftop overlooking the LES. Free with RSVP; VIP options to $55. Neat attire required. Source: Eventbrite
Memorial Day Weekend Rooftop Party at 230 Fifth 230 Fifth Avenue, Flatiron (27th Street). Opens Sunday May 24 at 5:00 PM, runs through Monday May 25 to 2:00 AM. Open-air rooftop with views of the Empire State Building. Guest DJs. 21+. Source: 230-fifth.com | Tickets: Eventbrite
How the Day Runs
Morning, 10 AM to 2 PM: Beaches open with lifeguards, Brooklyn Memorial Day Parade steps off at 11 AM, the Rockaway parade runs 11 AM to 1:30 PM, the Urban Park Rangers walk is 11 AM to 12:30 PM, the Pier 2 extravaganza runs 11 AM to 3 PM, and the DanceAfrica bazaar opens at noon.
Afternoon, 2 PM to 6 PM: Green-Wood concert runs 2 to 4 PM, DanceAfrica performance at BAM is at 3 PM, Everyday Afrique at Nowadays starts at 3 PM, the Partake NYC BBQ opens at 3 PM, The DL rooftop party starts at 3 PM, and the DJ FATFINGAZ set runs 2 to 7 PM.
Evening through overnight: Elsewhere opens at 5 PM, Last Jam at Round 2 starts at 7 PM, MAMATACO opens at 8 PM, AFRIQUE NYC: THE AFTERS at House of Yes goes from 9 PM to 2 AM.
The most concentrated zones are Fort Greene (DanceAfrica all day), DUMBO (DJ FATFINGAZ at Time Out Market), Ridgewood/Bushwick (Nowadays, Elsewhere, House of Yes), and LIC (Partake NYC).
- Jack
, Jack