Queens is the most parade-dense borough in New York City on Memorial Day — and 2026 is no exception. From Little Neck-Douglaston in the northeast to Laurelton in the southeast, the borough holds more Memorial Day parades than any other, spread across neighborhoods that have nothing in common except the same commitment to showing up. Here is what is happening in your Queens neighborhood today and what already happened over the weekend.
Little Neck-Douglaston: Queens’ Biggest Parade
The Douglaston–Little Neck Memorial Day Parade is widely cited as the largest Memorial Day parade in New York City. It steps off today at 2 pm at Jayson Avenue, marching southwest along Northern Boulevard and ending at 245th Street near Zion Episcopal Church in Douglaston.
But the day starts earlier: at 10 am, a Zion Episcopal Church service begins at 243-01 Northern Boulevard, followed by a wreath laying ceremony at Monument Park at Alameda Avenue and Northern Boulevard, and a community brunch in Father Smith Hall. By the time the parade steps off at 2 pm, the neighborhood has already been gathering for four hours. This is the kind of all-day community event that defines what Memorial Day looks like when a neighborhood really commits.
The parade draws thousands of spectators along Northern Boulevard. LIRR service to Douglaston station is running on a holiday schedule — check schedules before you go.
Laurelton: The Southeast Queens Tradition
In southeast Queens, the 37th Annual Laurelton Memorial Day Parade stepped off this morning at 9 am from the intersection of Francis Lewis and Merrick Boulevards, marching to the Veterans Memorial Triangle at 225th Street.
Laurelton’s parade is one of the earliest-starting in the city, which means it reaches the memorial site while the morning is still fresh. The Veterans Memorial Triangle is a small but deeply meaningful civic space — the kind of place that gets overlooked on ordinary days but becomes the center of the neighborhood’s identity on Memorial Day.
Ridgewood and Glendale: The 88th Annual March
The 88th Annual Ridgewood/Glendale Myrtle Avenue Memorial Day Parade stepped off this morning at 11 am from Cypress Avenue, marching along Myrtle Avenue to Cooper Avenue. Ceremonies were held at both ends of the route. The parade is organized by the Allied Veterans Memorial Committee of Ridgewood and Glendale and includes ECCA antique automobile participation.
Ridgewood and Glendale straddle the Queens–Brooklyn border, and the Myrtle Avenue corridor that the parade follows is the commercial and civic backbone of both communities. The 88th iteration of this parade means it has outlasted several generations of the neighborhood’s own residents — a continuity that matters in communities that have seen significant demographic change over the decades.
What Happened Over the Weekend: College Point, Maspeth, Forest Hills
Before today, Queens held three more parades over the Memorial Day weekend. On Sunday, May 24, the 104th College Point Memorial Day Parade stepped off at 2 pm from 26th Avenue along College Point Boulevard, ending at MacNeil Park. The Maspeth Memorial Day Parade marched from Walter Garlinge Memorial Park at 72nd Street and Grand Avenue to 69th Street at Maspeth Memorial Park. And the American Legion Forest Hills Parade kicked off at noon from Ascan Avenue, marching to St. John’s Cemetery at Cooper and Metropolitan Avenues.
On Saturday, May 23, the Kew Gardens Memorial Day Service and Classical Concert at Maple Grove Cemetery (83-15 Kew Gardens Road) included the reading of names of those killed in wars from WWI forward who are buried in the cemetery, followed by a free classical concert. Both events were at the Brownson Center on the cemetery grounds.
What You Need to Know
- Little Neck-Douglaston Parade — steps off 2 pm at Jayson Ave, marches along Northern Blvd to 245th St; church service at 10 am, wreath laying and brunch precede the parade
- Laurelton Parade — stepped off 9 am from Francis Lewis & Merrick Blvd; ends at Veterans Memorial Triangle at 225th St
- Ridgewood/Glendale Parade — stepped off 11 am from Cypress Ave along Myrtle Ave to Cooper Ave; 88th annual edition
- Transit reminder — LIRR runs a holiday schedule today; the Q12 and Q13 buses serve the Little Neck area; check MTA alerts for service changes
- Beach season has begun — NYC public beaches including Rockaway opened for lifeguarded swimming on Saturday, May 23 and run through Labor Day
Queens holds more Memorial Day parades than any other borough not because of a single organizing body, but because dozens of neighborhood veterans’ organizations, civic groups, and community alliances independently decided — over more than a century — that their corner of the borough deserved its own march. That decentralized tradition is very Queens. And it is happening all around you today.
Source: GothamBuzz NYC Memorial Day Parades 2026
