Ocean City cancels Memorial Day ceremony

Ocean City, Maryland, canceled its Memorial Day ceremony ahead of the holiday weekend after forecasting poor weather for the beach resort. The town said the event, which had been scheduled for Sunday, May 24, would not go forward because of inclement conditions. The cancellation was posted through Ocean City event channels and picked up by local media on May 23. As of Sunday, the town had not announced a makeup date. ### Which event was called off in Ocean City? The Town of Ocean City had scheduled the Memorial Day ceremony for 1 p.m. on May 24 at the Firefighters Memorial at North Division Street and the Boardwalk. A May 11 town press release said the event would honor service members who died in military service and would include a wreath-laying tribute. (aol.com) Ocean City’s tourism listings also described a fuller program for the ceremony, including remarks from Mayor Rick Meehan and Brig. Gen. Joed Carbonell-López, a performance by the 229th Maryland Army National Guard Band and a skydiving flag delivery. Those details appeared in event listings published before the cancellation. (oceancitymd.gov) ### What did the town say about the cancellation? Ocean City said the ceremony was canceled because of the weather forecast for the weekend. Syndicated reports quoting the town’s notice said the Memorial Day ceremony, originally scheduled for May 24, was canceled due to inclement weather. (oceancity.com) The event page at ococean.com said, “Unfortunately, due to the weather, the Memorial Day Ceremony scheduled for tomorrow has been canceled.” The same notice told visitors to stop by the Fireman’s Memorial at North Division Street during the weekend to view the military wreath display. (aol.com) ### What was the forecast around Ocean City? The National Weather Service forecast for Ocean City on May 24 showed hazardous weather alerts in effect, including a Beach Hazards Statement through Sunday evening. The forecast page also listed a Hazardous Weather Outlook for the area. (ococean.com) Regional forecast coverage published before the holiday said rain was expected through much of Memorial Day weekend in the Salisbury-Ocean City area. That reporting had already flagged unsettled conditions as travelers and local governments prepared for holiday events. (forecast.weather.gov) ### Was the ceremony part of a broader holiday schedule? Ocean City had included the ceremony in its Memorial Day weekend programming and seasonal promotions. A town update about the start of the 2026 season said the formal ceremony would be held on May 24 at 1 p.m. on North Division Street and the Boardwalk. (delmarvanow.com) The town’s official press-release pages and event calendar continued to show the earlier ceremony announcement in archived listings, even as the separate event page was updated to mark it canceled. ### What can visitors still do at the site? The canceled-event notice said the wreath display would remain available for viewing at the Fireman’s Memorial on North Division Street over the holiday weekend. (oceancitymd.gov) That left the memorial site itself accessible even though the formal ceremony was called off. (oceancitymd.gov) As of May 24, the next public update would be expected through the Town of Ocean City’s press-release pages, event calendar or related visitor-information channels, where the original ceremony details and cancellation notice were posted. (oceancitymd.gov) (ococean.com)