Memorial Day in Birmingham 2027: closures, trash, pools, zoo

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Memorial Day 2027 is more than seven months away, so the details below are from the city’s and organizers’ 2025 and 2026 notices, and we say which year each is from.

Memorial Day 2027 is Monday, May 31. In Birmingham it closes city offices and libraries, shifts trash pickup and, in recent years, opens the first city pools of the summer. The Birmingham Zoo has marked the day with free admission for veterans and military families.

Who to call

• City services and trash: 311, or 205-254-2489 (closed on city holidays)
• City pools: Birmingham Park and Recreation, 205-254-3120
• Police non-emergency: 205-328-9311; 911 in an emergency

What is open and closed

• City offices: closed on Memorial Day, except police, fire and 911. In 2026 that was Monday, May 25, according to the city’s 2026 notice.
• Birmingham Public Library: closed on Memorial Day in 2026, according to its holiday closures list.
• Birmingham City Schools: Memorial Day, May 31, 2027, is a holiday on the district calendar; the last day for students is Thursday, June 10.
• Birmingham Botanical Gardens: free and open every day of the year.

Trash pickup

In 2026 the city said household garbage and recycling would be pushed back one day for all routes in Memorial Day week, with the regular schedule resuming after Friday, May 29. Check our trash and recycling guide for the 2027 notice.

Pools open for the weekend

In 2025 four Birmingham Park and Recreation pools opened for Memorial Day weekend: Crestwood Park, 5400 Crestwood Blvd.; Memorial Park, 524 6th Ave. S.; Martin Luther King Jr., 529 43rd St. N.; and McAlpine Park, 1115 Avenue F, Ensley. They were open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Monday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, and it cost $1 a person to swim, according to the city’s 2025 announcement. For the full summer schedule, see summer in Birmingham: camps and pools.

The zoo on Memorial Day

The Birmingham Zoo was open on Memorial Day 2026 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and gave free admission to all veterans, active and retired military and up to six dependent family members, according to the zoo’s 2026 announcement. The children’s zoo splash pads were open for the season.

Ceremonies and remembrance

The Alabama Veterans Memorial Park, a 21-acre wooded memorial with a walking trail, was built and maintained by the Alabama Veterans Memorial Foundation and donated in November 2023 to the City of Mountain Brook, which now maintains it, according to the foundation. The foundation holds its own ceremony on Veterans Day; its 2026 ceremony is Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1:30 p.m.

As of Oct. 17 no Birmingham group had published a 2027 Memorial Day ceremony. Organizing one? Send us the date, time and place and we will list it here.

What this means for you

• Put trash out a day later than usual all Memorial Day week if the city repeats its 2026 schedule.
• Bring cash for city pools; in summer 2025 the city took cash only.
• Veterans and military families: check the zoo’s Memorial Day offer before you go.

Related: Labor Day in Birmingham, Fourth of July fireworks and parks and trails.

Frequently asked questions

When is Memorial Day 2027?

Monday, May 31, 2027. Birmingham City Schools list it as a holiday on the 2026-27 calendar.

Is Birmingham trash pickup delayed for Memorial Day?

In 2026 the city pushed household garbage and recycling back one day for all routes that week, with the regular schedule resuming after Friday, May 29. The 2027 notice is usually posted the week before.

Are Birmingham city pools open Memorial Day weekend?

In 2025 four city pools (Crestwood Park, Memorial Park, Martin Luther King Jr. and McAlpine Park) opened for Memorial Day weekend, at $1 a person. The 2027 schedule had not been posted on Oct. 17.

Is the Birmingham Zoo free for veterans on Memorial Day?

On Memorial Day 2026 the zoo was open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admitted veterans, active and retired military and up to six family dependents free.