Arlington National Cemetery will host several Memorial Day weekend observances, including the Old Guard placing about 260,000 flags on Thursday, May 21, Flowers of Remembrance Day on Sunday, May 24, and the 158th National Memorial Day Observance beginning arou
The first flags went up at Arlington National Cemetery before sunrise on Thursday, May 21—about 260,000 of them—each placed at the gravestones of service members and their families by nearly 1,500 soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard.”
Memorial Day weekend is when the cemetery’s quiet becomes unmistakably public. More than 3 million people visit Arlington National Cemetery each year, with more than 135,000 expected to come over Memorial Day weekend. Days of preparation begin early. and the groundwork—both ceremonial and logistical—sets the tone for what visitors are asked to do: pause. remember. and follow rules that keep a sacred space orderly during a busy stretch.
Beyond the flag placements, Arlington National Cemetery will observe multiple events, each with its own entry requirements, timing, and meaning—ranging from a flower-laying ritual at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to a rare evening program that comes after the cemetery stops admitting visitors.
The Old Guard flag tradition still begins before the holiday crowd arrives. The cemetery said the annual “Flags In” effort is a tradition that goes back 78 years; in 1948. the Army named the regiment as its official ceremonial unit. Since then. The Old Guard. along with some participants from other branches of the military. has annually placed flags at soldiers’ headstones.
Flag placements also extend beyond individual graves. Sentinels from the Tomb Guard placed flags at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Army chaplains, along with some Navy chaplains, placed flags at the gravesites of those buried on Chaplains Hill in Section 2 of the cemetery.
Staff Sgt. Jacob Holmes. the former public affairs team leader for the Old Guard. said in a news release about 2025’s event: “For those who gave everything in service to our country. this is our way of showing that they will never be forgotten.” He added. “And for the soldiers of the Old Guard. it is more than a duty; it’s a sacred honor to carry their memory forward. year after year.”.
Even as flags multiply across tens of thousands of gravesites, the cemetery continues routine operations. Arlington National Cemetery remains the final resting place for more than 400. 000 service members. veterans and their eligible dependents. and it continues to conduct up to 30 burials each weekday during the period leading up to Memorial Day.
On Sunday. May 24. the weekend shifts to a ritual that invites visitors to step closer to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This is Flowers of Remembrance Day, when Tomb Guards will have flowers at the ready. Visitors can walk across the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier plaza and place a flower at the tomb on Sunday. May 24.
The cemetery is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, and the Flowers of Remembrance Day ceremony runs from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Arlington National Cemetery historian Allison Finkelstein described the event in writing about the Flowers of Remembrance Day ceremony in 2022. saying Memorial Day provides “our nation with an opportunity to pause from our normal affairs to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in defense of our nation.”.
Finkelstein also wrote that the ceremony gives the public “the opportunity to viscerally connect with this ritual by stepping onto the sacred ground of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – normally closed to the general public – and placing a flower there.”
That same day includes additional programming. In the outdoor bowl of the nearby Memorial Amphitheater. Arlington National Cemetery historians will deliver a program starting at 10 a.m. discussing the history of Decoration Day, which began in 1868 and preceded Memorial Day. After the program, they will lead a walking tour.
Visitors in the morning may also hear the rumbling of motorcycles as the annual “Rolling to Remember” motorcycle ride makes its way around the nearby monuments.
Monday, May 25, brings the main ceremony. The 158th National Memorial Day Observance program begins about 10:45 a.m., with pre-event programming and a formal program starting at about noon. The event is free and open to the public, and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Access around the amphitheater follows strict traffic rules. Walking to and from the amphitheater is prohibited. and attendees must ride the tram from the Welcome Center to the Memorial Amphitheater. Visitors can also watch a livestream of the event on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service website.
The presidential wreath-laying tradition remains part of the observance. The account notes that traditionally the president comes to Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. President Trump, who has done that regularly on Memorial Day, also spoke at the national observance event in 2025.
Monday also includes a rare evening event: Freedom 250 National Memorial Day Observance: An Evening of Stories and Service at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery. The candlelit program. according to the event website. “will feature storytelling. reflection. music. and patriotic tribute centered on themes of American grit. valor. and a life of service.”.
The honorees include Medal of Honor recipient Captain Humbert “Rocky” Versace and U.S. Army Special Forces Captain Daniel W. Eggers. Country music artist Gretchen Wilson is also scheduled to perform.
For anyone planning to attend Monday’s ceremonies, the timing of when the cemetery stops admitting visitors is crucial. Ahead of the event, Arlington National Cemetery will stop admitting visitors and family pass holders at 4 p.m. on Monday, May 25, and all visitors must exit the cemetery by 5 p.m. The cemetery will reopen at 6 p.m. for Freedom 250 event attendees, and the program begins at 8:30 p.m. ET. More information is available on the Freedom 250 website.
By Thursday morning. the cemetery’s major preparations were already visible—flags placed at more than 260. 000 gravesites. and the ceremony calendar taking shape. What follows over the weekend is a tightly scheduled series of moments that ask visitors to move with care: place a flower where public access is normally limited. gather for a formal observance with tram-only transit to the amphitheater. and then return later for the evening program after the cemetery’s afternoon closure.
Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Day Old Guard Flags In Flowers of Remembrance Day Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 158th National Memorial Day Observance Freedom 250 tram rules Gretchen Wilson Captain Humbert Rocky Versace Daniel W. Eggers