Memorial Day Weekend 2026 in Baldwin County

The Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of beach season on the Gulf Coast — and across Baldwin County, the long weekend mixes solemn observances honoring fallen service members with a packed slate of festivals, fireworks, and concerts that draw both residents and the season's first big wave of summer visitors.

Spanish Fort

Memorial Day Ceremony — Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery

The cemetery at 34904 AL-225, Spanish Fort holds an annual Memorial Day program each year. In past years it has begun at 11 a.m. with a presentation of colors, the Pledge of Allegiance, the national anthem, a wreath-laying, a flag-folding ceremony, an honor guard salute, and the playing of Taps. The Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs has not yet posted the 2026 keynote speaker or final program details on its events calendar — check va.alabama.gov/events in the days leading up to the holiday for confirmation.

Fairhope

Baldwin Pops Memorial Day Concert on the Bluff

• Monday, May 25 · 6 p.m.
• Henry George Park (County Road 98), Fairhope
• Free · outdoor · bring chairs and a picnic

The Baldwin Pops returns to the bluff above Mobile Bay for its annual Memorial Day concert — a patriotic program honoring veterans, in one of the prettiest outdoor settings in the county. No tickets and no admission charge; arrive early for a good spot. The Memorial Day and Founders Day concerts are two of the Pops' headline performances of the year.

Foley

Downtown OWA Memorial Day Weekend

Three days of free admission programming at Downtown OWA, 101 N S OWA Blvd, with the weekend's headline fireworks display on Saturday night. All events are free.

• Friday, May 22 · 4–9 p.m. — Weekend opens at Downtown OWA: live music, food, family activities
• Friday, May 22 — Grand opening of VooDoo Daiquiris at Downtown OWA (new bar/restaurant)
• Friday, May 22 · 6–9 p.m. — Poker Night at Waffles R Wild
• Friday, May 22 · 6–10 p.m. — Friday Night Karaoke at Cozumel Bar & Grill
• Saturday, May 23 · 2–9 p.m. — Festival continues
• Saturday, May 23 · 7–9 p.m. — Brandon Styles Variety Show (Brandon Styles Theater)
• Saturday, May 23 · 8–9:30 p.m. — The Rocky Horror Picture Show (OWA Theater)
• Saturday, May 23 · 8:50 p.m. — 🎆 Patriotic fireworks over Tropic Falls (visible throughout Downtown OWA)
• Sunday, May 24 · 12–9 p.m. — Festival continues
• Sunday, May 24 · 1–5 p.m. — Brunch & Rally pickleball event

The Saturday fireworks are the weekend's headline display.

Orange Beach

The Wharf — 2026 C Spire Concert Series

The Wharf Amphitheater opens its 2026 C Spire Concert Series with a four-night Memorial Day weekend run. All shows ticketed; box office hours and full lineups at alwharf.com/events.

• Friday, May 22 · 6–9 p.m. — Spark Into Summer Fireworks (free)
• Saturday, May 23 — HARDY with Tucker Wetmore and McCoy Moore (tickets from $37)
• Sunday, May 24 — Godsmack with Dorothy (tickets from $84)
• Monday, May 25 — Dave Matthews Band (tickets from $26)

Gulf Shores

LuLuPalooza at LuLu's

• Saturday, May 23 · 2–10 p.m. — LuLuPalooza at LuLu's Gulf Shores (200 E. 25th Ave.). Lucy Buffett's restaurant on the Intracoastal Waterway hosts an all-day Motown-inspired beach dance party on the Crazy Sista Boat Stage: Light Travelers Deluxe from 2–5 p.m., then 4 Barrel Funk from 6–10 p.m.

Memorial Day Weekend at The Hangout

The Hangout in Gulf Shores has a four-night live music lineup running through the holiday:

• Friday, May 22 — Fusion Cover Band
• Saturday, May 23 — Petty Betty
• Sunday, May 24 — Frank Fletcher
• Monday, May 25 — The Stephen Bros

Daytime programming includes the Pirates & Princesses Breakfast Adventure with shows at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., seafood and beachside dining for lunch and dinner, foam parties, hourly live entertainment, and bungee jumping. Per the venue's official Facebook page.

Gulf State Park

Memorial Day weekend is one of the year's busiest at Gulf State Park — beaches, the pier, the bike trails, and the lodge all draw heavy crowds. The park's full activities calendar is at alapark.com/parks/gulf-state-park; arrive early on Saturday and Monday if you want a parking spot.

A note on the meaning of Memorial Day

Memorial Day, observed the last Monday in May, honors United States service members who died in active military service. It is distinct from Veterans Day in November (which honors all who have served) and from Armed Forces Day in May (which recognizes those currently serving). The federal holiday traces its origins to Decoration Day in the years after the Civil War and was standardized as the last Monday in May by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968.

If your family has a tradition we should know about — a small ceremony at a community cemetery, a parade we missed, a long-running gathering at a local post — please send us a note at tips@baldwincitizen.com and we'll fold it into the post.