Every Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony on the South Shore, 2026
Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 25 this year. Across the broader South Shore there are 27 separate observances over the holiday weekend. Saturday opens with two events (a Rockland graves flagging at 9 a.m. and the Avon parade at noon). The earliest Monday ceremonies kick off at 8 a.m. in both Cohasset and Duxbury, and the latest formal ceremony of the day runs until past noon in Cohasset.
This is the complete list, organized chronologically, with start locations, routes, and ceremony details verified against town flyers, the Enterprise’s May 21 roundup, The Patriot Ledger’s statewide list, the Duxbury Clipper, and direct town veterans services pages. Where 2026 specifics weren’t yet posted, the historical route is given and flagged for verification — call the local VFW or American Legion post if exact details matter.
Saturday, May 23
Rockland — 9 a.m.
Flagging of Veterans Graves at Holy Family Cemetery, 92 Centre Avenue. Rain or shine. Hosted by the Rockland Allied Veterans Council.
Avon — Noon
The South Shore’s earliest parade of the weekend. Steps off at St. Michael’s Church, 87 N. Main St. The parade proceeds past the fire station on Route 28, past the Avon Town Offices, and concludes at the VFW. This is Avon’s only Memorial Day observance, held Saturday rather than Monday.
Monday, May 25 — Memorial Day
Cohasset — 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The longest observance on the South Shore. Veterans depart the George H. Mealy American Legion Post, 98 Summer St. at 8 a.m. by bus, visiting every cemetery in town where veterans are buried. The formal Memorial Day ceremony is held around noon at Veterans Memorial Park, 2 Border St. Among the most thorough Memorial Day observances in the region.
Duxbury — 8 a.m. to noon
A six-stop cemetery procession followed by a full town parade and ceremony, organized by Duxbury American Legion Post 223. The morning’s cemetery ceremonies begin at 8 a.m. and run through 9:45 a.m.:
8:00 a.m. — Ashdod Cemetery
8:15 a.m. — Dingley Cemetery
8:30 a.m. — North Duxbury Tomb
9:00 a.m. — Blue Fish River Bridge
9:15 a.m. — St. John’s Church
9:45 a.m. — Myles Standish Cemetery
The main parade then forms at Myles Standish Cemetery and steps off at 10 a.m., including American Legion Post 223, other veterans (marching or riding), the Duxbury Select Board, Fire and Police color guards, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and various scout groups. The procession heads through Hall’s Corner and up Depot Street to Mayflower Cemetery for a ceremony at the Civil War Memorial. At 11:15 a.m., a formal ceremony is held at First Parish Church; the public is invited. At noon, the post hosts a light lunch at Duxbury Post 223, 5 West St. Anyone with a convertible willing to transport veterans in the parade can contact John Magnarelli at 781-934-5485.
Hanson — 9 a.m.
Opening ceremony begins at 9:00 a.m., with the parade then proceeding to Town Hall for a presentation at the Civil War Memorial and continuing to Fern Hill Cemetery for honors and speeches. Following the parade, the Hanson Athletic Association at 171 Reed Street opens for burgers, hot dogs, and marinated meat products donated by Dom’s Sausage Company — food served starting at noon. Veterans wishing to march in the parade can email Vceremonies@hanson-ma.gov to participate.
Abington — 9 a.m.
A ceremony, not a parade. Held at the Abington Veterans Lot at Mount Vernon Cemetery, 227 Central St., organized by the town’s veterans organizations.
Carver — 9:30 a.m.
Parade through the center of town. Historical route follows West Street and Main Street through the town center toward Meadow Street. Traffic is closed for approximately one hour. Confirm the exact step-off location with the town clerk.
Halifax — 9:30 a.m.
Ceremony at the new Veterans Memorial Garden behind Halifax Town Hall, 499 Plymouth St.
Plymouth — 9:30 a.m.
Steps off from Plymouth Memorial Hall, 83 Court St. The parade proceeds down Memorial Drive toward the water, with a stop at Town Hall for a wreath-laying at the Korean and Vietnam Memorial.
Whitman — 9:30 a.m. (parade forms 8:45)
The parade forms at 8:45 a.m. at Court Street, near the South Avenue intersection. Step-off is at 9:30. Route: up South Avenue to Whitman Town Hall for remarks and wreath-laying, then through Whitman Center, right onto Washington Street, right onto Park Avenue, and into Whitman Town Park for additional remarks and wreath-laying. Expect road closures between 9:15 and 10:15 a.m. along the route. Collation follows at American Legion Post 22 on Essex Street.
Bridgewater — 10 a.m.
Parade steps off at Perkins Street. Ceremony follows at 10:30 a.m. on the Bridgewater Town Common.
Brockton — 10 a.m.
Steps off from the War Memorial Building, 156 W. Elm St. Route: West Elm Street to Newbury Street, to Belmont Street, to Main Street, onto Crescent Street, and up VFW Parkway to the City Hall Amphitheater, 45 School St. Ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. and includes a special tribute recognizing Bonita Wilson and John Hinglebine. Rain plan: the ceremony moves inside the War Memorial Building and the parade is cancelled.
East Bridgewater — 10 a.m.
The town’s 158th annual Memorial Day Ceremony — an unbroken tradition stretching back to 1868, the year Decoration Day was first proclaimed. Held on the East Bridgewater Town Common with patriotic music performed by the East Bridgewater Concert Band. A family-style chicken barbecue follows at the Peter Moskos Pavilion at the Commercial Club. Sponsored by the East Bridgewater Veterans Office in conjunction with the East Bridgewater Patriotic Activities Committee. Info: 508-378-1603.
Hanover — 10 a.m.
The most elaborate route in the region. Begins at Saint Mary’s Church, 392 Hanover St. The parade proceeds to the Civil War Memorial, then continues to Hanover Center Cemetery to honor World War I soldiers at the Josselyn and Cummings plots, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, deceased police and fire personnel, and American Legion and VFW memorials. The parade then returns to the Civil War Memorial to honor Civil War, WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans; continues to Hanover Town Hall for an additional Korean, Vietnam, and WWII tribute; proceeds to the area beside Stetson House to recognize Revolutionary War soldiers; and continues to the Sylvester School building to honor WWI soldiers. The parade concludes at the Hanover Veterans Memorial, 495 Hanover St., where the ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m. with special guest Todd Angilly, Boston’s anthem singer.
Hingham — 10 a.m. parade / 11 a.m. ceremony
Two-part observance. The parade steps off at 10:00 near Hingham High School at the Middle Street / Pleasant Street intersection, heads north across Route 228, joins Main Street through Hingham Center to Hingham Square, turns right onto North Street, and finishes at Station Street at approximately 11:15 a.m. The town ceremony begins promptly at 11:00 a.m. at Hingham Town Hall, 210 Central St., in the Sanborn Auditorium (second floor). Town Moderator Michael Puzo opens the ceremony, and the principal speaker is Colonel Phil Anderson, USMC veteran and Deacon at the Hingham Catholic Collaborative.
Holbrook — 10 a.m.
Steps off from Holbrook Middle-Senior High School, 245 South Franklin St., concluding at Mary Wales Holbrook Park where the ceremony is held. The Rotary Club provides hot dogs after the ceremony.
Hull — 10 a.m.
The town has confirmed the parade and ceremony for Monday, May 25. Historical route runs from Hull High School, 180 Main St., to the Gold Star Mothers Monument at Hull Village Cemetery. Verify step-off time with the town veterans services office before publication.
Kingston — 10 a.m.
Annual parade and ceremony. Tributes are made at each war memorial in town, with a closing ceremony at the Town Hall Veterans Memorial.
Marshfield — 10 a.m.
Steps off from Library Plaza, with a ceremony at the Marshfield Town Green.
Middleborough — 10 a.m.
Steps off from the Middleborough Town Hall parking lot, 10 Nickerson Ave. Ceremony follows at War Memorial Park in front of Town Hall. Rain plan: the ceremony moves indoors to the Town Hall Grand Ballroom.
Norwell — 10 a.m. parade / 11 a.m. ceremony
Steps off at the corner of Main Street and Lincoln Street in the historic town center. The parade proceeds east on Main Street to the Norwell Veterans Memorial Common, turns south on River Street, and regroups on the common for the ceremony at 11 a.m. A reception at the American Legion follows.
Pembroke — 10 a.m.
Steps off on Center Street at the former Arrow restaurant lot. The parade ends at First Church in Pembroke, 105 Center St.
Plympton — 10 a.m.
Parade and ceremony in Plympton center. The town’s invitation is the most welcoming on the South Shore: “All are invited to participate, on foot, on a float, on a tractor, horse or boat — in a hot-rod, truck or car, we welcome you come as you are.” Residents wishing to march can contact Selectmen’s Assistant Briggette Martins-Hebert at (781) 585-2700 or bosassistant@plymptontown.org.
Scituate — 10 a.m.
Steps off from Scituate Town Hall, 600 Chief Justice Cushing Highway. Includes a flotilla tribute on the harbor and concludes with a ceremony at Lawson Common.
West Bridgewater — 10 a.m.
Ceremony at War Memorial Park on River Street. Not a parade.
Quincy — 10:30 a.m.
Steps off from 100 Quincy Avenue (Quincy Credit Union). The parade proceeds up Hancock Street with a wreath-laying ceremony at the United First Parish Church, continues along Coddington Street, crosses the Southern Artery to Sea Street, and concludes at Mount Wollaston Cemetery for the Memorial Day ceremony.
Rockland — 11 a.m.
Ceremony at the Rockland Veterans Memorial, 100 Taunton Avenue (in front of Rockland High School / Veterans Memorial Stadium). Hosted by the Rockland Allied Veterans Council. Attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs. Rain plan: the ceremony moves indoors to the Rockland High School Auditorium.
A note on what these days are for
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution. The South Shore sent its own to every American war since: Aaron Hobart’s foundry cast cannons for Washington’s army from his shop in what is now Whitman; the 18th, 38th, and 58th Massachusetts pulled heavily from Plymouth County in the Civil War; the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy built the destroyers and submarines that fought through the Pacific; the Hingham Naval Ammunition Depot armed them. Memorial Day is the day for the dead specifically — not the day for veterans generally — and every name carved on every town’s monument represents a household on the South Shore that did not get someone back.
East Bridgewater’s ceremony Monday will be the town’s 158th in continuous observance — going back to 1868, the first year Decoration Day was proclaimed by Maj. Gen. John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, when communities first gathered to decorate the graves of Civil War dead with flowers. That’s not a coincidence. Most South Shore Memorial Day observances trace their lineage to the same post-Civil War moment, organized by Union veterans who came home and never let their dead be forgotten.
Sources: Town-issued flyers from East Bridgewater, Hanson, Rockland, and Whitman; the Duxbury Clipper (May 20, 2026); The Enterprise (Brockton-area roundup, May 21, 2026); The Patriot Ledger (Massachusetts roundup, May 13, 2026); Hingham Anchor; Plymouth Independent; town veterans services departments; town websites and VFW post pages. Times, routes, and start locations confirmed against the most recent published source for each town. Readers planning to attend should verify with the local VFW or town clerk if specific details matter.
Added Plympton