Memorial Day should celebrate America’s fallen soldiers with a somber accounting. This federal holiday has been officially observed on the last Monday of May since the 1970s. This year, Memorial Day is on May 29. It’s a day to commemorate our war dead, and ironically enough it starts the summer travel season in earnest. Since it was first codified as a federal holiday in 1971, Memorial Day has undergone a radical metamorphosis. Today, it’s filled with both genre-less tributes and spiritual celebrations.
Memorial Day may have begun on May 30. It was first proclaimed a holiday to remember and honor the men and women who lost their lives while serving in the military forces of the United States. Citizens assemble at cemeteries and other memorials for observances. They lay flowers, hold ceremonies and pay their respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. It also heralds significant travel and retail activity, with many Americans taking advantage of the long weekend to engage in shopping sprees.
On Memorial Day, most federal and state government services and institutions are closed. Federal and state government offices, post offices, federal courts, and public and private schools will be closed. The U.S. stock markets and commercial banks likewise close up shop for the day. Such closures are indicative of our national observance of, and respect for, the sabbath holiday.
We go into this year’s Memorial Day weekend with a lot of momentum at our backs! Our experts expect more than 44 million Americans to take to the roads and travel during this busy season. This number equals the domestic travel high-water mark from twenty years ago. It demonstrates the impressive resurgence in travel activity that’s occurred post-pandemic. This new mobility is largely driven by the combination of an extended weekend with perfect weather that created the recipe for great mobility.
In addition to travel, Memorial Day weekend is renowned for being one of the biggest retail sales periods of the year. Many businesses have chosen to remain open during the holiday, offering discounts and promotions that entice shoppers. This trend is indicative of bigger changes in consumer behavior as companies realize the opportunity to boost sales during this period.
As of Wednesday, the average price for a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. was $3.18. This is a big decrease from $3.60 only a year ago. These lower prices are likely to stimulate more travel plans and add to the expected boom in summer road trips.
