Memorial Day Weekend Events and Activities Around Ventura County
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Memorial Day is a holiday to remember those who died while serving in the armed forces. Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress in 1971, but its beginnings go back to after the Civil War in 1868.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, cities in the North and South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866. But in 1966, Congress and President Lyndon B. Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y. as the birthplace of Memorial Day.
Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day.
Traditionally, Memorial Day was May 30th each year. That was changed to the last Monday in May when the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was signed into law in June 1968 and put into effect in 1971.
In 2000, the National Moment of Remembrance Act was enacted by Congress to ask Americans to pause in an act of national unity at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day.
Here is a compilation of activities and events this 2023 Memorial Day weekend around Ventura County and adjacent areas.
Fri 5/31: Jazz Night at Westlake Village Civic Center (7PM)
Sat-Mon 5/25-5/27: I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival in Santa Barbara
Sat/Sun 5/25-5/26: 47th Annual Ojai Art in the Park
Mon 5/27: Memorial Day Service at the Reagan Library (9:30AM)
Mon 5/27: Memorial Day Observance at Moorpark Veterans’ Memorial (10AM)
Mon 5/27: CPRD Concert in the Park - Beatles Tribute (5PM)
The annual Butterflies Alive! summer exhibit at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History opens on Sat, 5/25
