Memorial Day Weekend 2024: 21 Parades, Carnivals Around Odenton

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The upcoming Memorial Day parade in Anne Arundel County is one of the annual traditions honoring military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

Here are 21 Anne Arundel County Memorial Day events for the three-day weekend, which runs from Saturday, May 25 through Monday, May 27. Click on any event for more details.

Annapolis

• Memorial Day Parade (Monday, May 27 at 10 a.m.)
• Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park (Any day through Sept. 2, there's free admission for current service members and their families. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays and is closed Mondays.)
• Annapolis Military Special Harbor Cruises (All weekend, active duty and retired military members get a 20% discount.)
• Capital SUP Paddelboarding Kick-Off Party With Live Music, Food And Drinks (Saturday, May 25 at 4 p.m.)
• Dinner Under The Stars (Saturday, May 25 at 6 p.m.)
• Anne Arundel County Farmers' Market (Saturday, May 25 from 7 a.m. to noon and Sunday, May 26 from 9 a.m. to noon)
• Hip Hop R&B Yacht Party (Sunday, May 26 at 4:45 p.m.)
• Free Concert At City Dock (Sunday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m.)
• Acoustic Brunch Sail (Monday, May 27 at 10:30 a.m.)
• Capital SUP Yappy Hour Paddleboarding With Dogs (Monday, May 27 at 6:30 p.m.)

Crownsville

• Placing Flags Ceremony At Crownsville Veterans Cemetery (Saturday, May 25 at 8 a.m.)
• Crownsville Veterans Cemetery Observance (Monday, May 27 at 11 a.m.)

Deale

• Live Music At Skipper's Pier (Saturday, May 25 at 3 p.m.)

Edgewater

• Live Music At Coconut Joe's (Friday, May 24; Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26)

Glen Burnie

• Country Club Pool Bonfire (Saturday, May 25 at 9 p.m.)
• Car Show At The Elks Lodge (Sunday, May 26 at 8 a.m.)
• Country Club Pool Opening Weekend Cookout (Sunday, May 26 at 1 p.m.)

Odenton

• Odenton Volunteer Fire Company Carnival (Tuesday, May 21 through Monday, May 27)
• Odenton Volunteer Fire Company Honor Guard Presentation (Monday, May 27 at 5 p.m.)

Pasadena

• Tour Of Historic Hancock's Resolution (Sunday, May 26 at 1 p.m.)
• Live Music At The Rumor Reel (Monday, May 27 at 5 p.m.)

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.