Memorial Day 2023 Guide: PA Parades, Commemorations (2024)

Parades, memorial services, and wreath-laying ceremonies for those who made the ultimate sacrifice are scheduled across the state.

Posted Wed, May 24, 2023 at 10:43 am ET

Many residents around the Keystone State line up for patriotic parades, or lay wreaths and flowers for veterans on Memorial Day weekend, which is May 27-29 this year.

Patch reporters across the state have been gathering dates and times for these events, and we have compiled them in a list below. Linked articles will have more information about local events, and also about other commemorations in nearby towns and ways to mark the holiday.

Bucks

• Levittown: Parades are scheduled Saturday in Penndel-Hulmeville and Monday in Langhorne.
• Bensalem: Veterans of Foreign Wars posts in Eddington and Andalusia will lead a parade down Bristol Pike on Monday, beginning at 10 a.m.
• Yardley: The Yardley Main Street parade starts at 11 a.m., with a rifle salute and honoring ceremonies beforehand.
• Warminster: The VFW Post 6493 will hold its annual ceremony Monday in front of the Warminster Township Building at 10 a.m. before the parade.
• Northampton: A Memorial Day ceremony is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday at Robert H. Dembowski Jr. Veterans Memorial Park.
• Doylestown: The Doylestown Memorial Day Parade, believed to be the nation’s oldest, steps off at 10 a.m. Monday.
• New Hope: A ceremony will be held on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the gravesite of the Continental soldiers in Washington Crossing Historic Park.
• Newtown: A parade begins Monday at 9 a.m., stepping off from Newtown Commons West.

Chester

• Spring City: The Spring-Ford marching band will play Monday morning.
• Malvern’s Memorial Day parade is said to be one of the oldest in the country – it’s not this weekend, but scheduled for Sunday, June 4.

Delaware

• Radnor: Parade begins at 9:45 a.m. Monday at Runnymede and South Wayne avenues, with a brief memorial ceremony following.
• Media: The Veterans Legacy Project and Media Borough are holding the annual parade in Media at 10 a.m. Monday, beginning at Barrall Field.
• Ardmore: Ardmore’s annual parade begins at 9:45 a.m. Monday, starting at the corner of Lancaster and Greenfield avenues. The Merion Concert Band will perform at 9:45 a.m. Monday by the Lower Merion Township building.

Montgomery

• Radnor: Parade begins at 9:45 a.m. Monday at Runnymede and South Wayne avenues, with a brief memorial ceremony following.
• Lower Merion Township: Ardmore’s annual parade begins at 9:45 a.m. Monday, starting at the corner of Lancaster and Greenfield avenues. The Merion Concert Band will perform at 9:45 a.m. Monday by the Lower Merion Township building.
• Hatboro and Horsham: Ceremonies are scheduled Monday at locations in both communities.

Philadelphia

• The National Constitution Center is offering free admission all weekend long, and marking Memorial Day with some special programming.
• The Museum of the American Revolution also has special programming for Memorial Day, and hands-on activities for kids. Admission is free for all veterans, active military members and Blue Star Families all weekend long.

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.

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.

As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

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.