Memorial Day is Monday, May 31, 2027. Walls of Honor, Rolesville's Memorial Mile, Town Hall closures and the week's one-day trash shift in Wake Forest.
Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. The 2027 plans are not out yet, so the details below come from 2026 and say so. Sources: the Town of Wake Forest’s 2026 Memorial Day notice, holiday schedule and parks pages, and the Town of Rolesville.
Memorial Day is Monday, May 31, 2027. Town Hall closes, curbside trash, recycling and yard waste are suspended that day, and the rest of the week’s pickups run a day late into Saturday, if the town follows its 2026 schedule. Through May, Walls of Honor at three town parks carry the names of local veterans.
Who to call
- Trash and bulk pickup: Public Works, 919-435-9570
- Walls of Honor: Wake Forest Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources, 919-435-9560
- Rolesville Memorial Mile: Rolesville Parks and Recreation, 919-554-6582
- Police non-emergency: 919-554-6150
Remembrance in Wake Forest
Memorial Day Remembrance Walls of Honor. Throughout May, the parks department puts up Walls of Honor at E. Carroll Joyner Park, the Alston-Massenburg Center and Flaherty Park, bearing the names of up to 500 veterans, living and deceased, submitted by residents. In 2026 submissions closed April 14; names from earlier years carry over, and there is no fee, according to the town’s archived Wall of Honor page.
Memorial Flag-Raising Ceremonies. At 11 a.m. on the first Monday of each month from April through October, the town and local veterans’ groups honor a deceased Wake Forest veteran in Centennial Plaza at Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St., with patriotic songs, a wreath and a flag-raising by the Wake Forest Fire Department Honor Guard. The 2026 May ceremony was May 4, the town’s ceremony page shows. Taking part are American Legion Post 187, VFW Post 8466, the Wake Forest Purple Heart Foundation and Marine Corps League Detachment 1257. The public is welcome.
A Wake Forest Memorial Day ceremony for 2027 had not been announced when we checked. We will add it here, with time and place, as soon as the organizer posts it.
Nearby: Rolesville Memorial Mile
Rolesville, about four miles southeast, marked Memorial Day 2026 with its Memorial Mile: signs naming local service members along Main Street, an 11 a.m. ceremony hosted by the Rolesville Garden Club at the Rolesville Community Center, 514 Southtown Circle, and a walk of remembrance to The Joel Fund, 113 W. Young St., for free hot dogs, with a shuttle back, according to the Town of Rolesville. Sign requests were free and due by April 23.
Trash, recycling and town services
From the town’s 2026 Memorial Day notice:
| Service | Memorial Day week 2026 |
|---|---|
| Town Hall and offices | Closed Monday; reopened 8 a.m. Tuesday |
| Trash and recycling | Every route one day late: Monday’s on Tuesday, through Friday’s on Saturday |
| Yard waste | Suspended Monday; resumed 7 a.m. Tuesday, working through all routes that week |
| Bulk pickup | Wednesday, possibly into Thursday; book online by 2 p.m. Monday |
| Wake Forest-Raleigh Express | No service Monday |
| Go Wake Forest | Normal schedule, 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. |
Put yard waste at the curb by 7 a.m. Tuesday, away from mailboxes and utility poles. Sign up for the town’s Holiday Operations E-Notifier for the 2027 notice, usually sent about a week ahead. More on our trash and recycling guide.
The start of summer
The Holding Park Aquatic Center opens on Memorial Day weekend: in 2026 it opened Saturday, May 23, and ran through Labor Day, according to the town’s pool page. Admission, swim sessions and camps are on our summer camps and pools page.
Related: Fourth of July fireworks, Mother’s Day and Labor Day.
Frequently asked questions
Is trash picked up on Memorial Day in Wake Forest?
No. In 2026 the town suspended curbside trash, recycling and yard waste on Memorial Day, and that week’s trash and recycling ran one day late into Saturday: Monday’s route on Tuesday through Friday’s route on Saturday.
Is Wake Forest Town Hall open on Memorial Day?
No. Town Hall and the town’s administrative offices close for Memorial Day. The Wake Forest-Raleigh Express also did not run on Memorial Day 2026, while Go Wake Forest kept its normal schedule.
What are the Memorial Day Walls of Honor in Wake Forest?
Through May the town’s parks department displays Walls of Honor with the names of up to 500 veterans, living and deceased, at Joyner Park, the Alston-Massenburg Center and Flaherty Park. Residents submit names in the spring.
Is there a Memorial Day ceremony near Wake Forest?
Rolesville’s Memorial Mile on Memorial Day 2026 began with a ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Rolesville Community Center, 514 Southtown Circle, then a walk of remembrance. Wake Forest’s own 2027 plans had not been announced.
When does the Wake Forest pool open?
The Holding Park Aquatic Center opens on Memorial Day weekend. In 2026 it opened Saturday, May 23, and stayed open through Labor Day.
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