Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start to summer in Omaha. Most years, you can expect at least one parade, one fun run, and a lot of concerts and exhibit openings. Here’s what planned for Memorial Day Weekend 2024!
UPDATE: This post was first published in 2022 and has been updated in March 2024 with current dates and new events. To have your Memorial Day Weekend event added, please email Kim (at) ohmyomaha (dot) com.
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Traditionally, there have been fun runs and parades on the actual day of Memorial Day (Monday), but throughout the weekend, festivities are held. Major attractions have opened temporary and permanent exhibits over the holiday weekend, as well. The list below contains events not just related to the holiday, but other fun things to do from Friday, May 24, through Monday, May 27, 2024.
Top events on Memorial Day Weekend
Many activities on Memorial Day Weekend are one-day-only events, but not all of them. Here are some of the unique events and things to do over Memorial Day Weekend this year.
Things to do on Friday
- Glow In The Park is May 24 and 25 from 6 to 10 p.m. at TreeRush Adventures at Fontenelle Forest, 1111 Bellevue Blvd. N, Bellevue.
- “PACE New Masters 2024” exhibit opening is at Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center, 1001 S. Sixth St. in Council Bluffs, on May 24 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. FREE
- Omaha Storm Chasers celebrate STEM Night and Fireworks Friday on May 24 at 6:35 p.m. Game is held at Werner Park, 12356 Ballpark Way, Papillion, Neb.
- Time On My Hands hosts Music Bingo Night: Disney on Friday starting at 7 p.m. at 7020 Maple St. It’s family-friendly competition.
- Pete Davidson: Prehab Tour is at Steelhouse Omaha, 1100 Dodge St., at 7 and 9:30 p.m. on May 24.
- Omaha Symphony presents “Space Oddity: The Music of David Bowie” at the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St., on May 24 at 7:30 p.m.
- Falconwood Drive-In, 905 Allied Road, Bellevue, opens for the season on May 24 with a screening of “Shrek.” “Goonies” will be screened on May 25. Gates open at 7 p.m. and movie starts at dusk. Admission is $5 per person for ages 5 and older.
- Opening Weekend of “POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” at BLUEBARN Theatre, 1106 S. 10th St., is Memorial Day Weekend. The comedy runs May 23 through June 23, 2024.
Things to do on Saturday
- Omaha Children’s Museum, 500 S. 20th St., opens the new exhibit “Power Up” on May 25. Included with regular museum admission.
- There will be a patriotic parade on Saturday, May 25, starting at 10 a.m. in the Old Market (along Jackson and Howard streets), followed by a concert at 12th and Jackson streets. FREE
- Festival of Trains In The Park is on May 25 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at River’s Edge, 4250 River’s Edge Parkway, Council Bluffs, Iowa. There will be train rides as well as model train displays. FREE
- Fontenelle Forest’s Critter Adventures, for kids ages 9 to 12 (and their caregivers), is May 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants will meet education animals up-close, and enjoy hands-on activities and crafts. The cost is $10 for members and $20 for non-members.
- Union Pacific Railroad Museum, 200 Pearl St. in Council Bluffs, hosts the Dog Days Of Summer on May 25 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Special guests from the Council Bluffs Police Department, the Council Bluffs Fire Department, and the Midlands Humane Society will help celebrate the start of summer. Learn about summer safety and enjoy craft activities inside the museum. FREE
- Safety Day with the Omaha Police Department and Omaha Fire Department is May 25 from noon to 3 p.m. at Gene Leahy Mall. There will be kids activities, demonstrations, music, food and refreshments. FREE
- Family Wild Edible Walk is May 25 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Hitchcock Nature Center, 27792 Ski Hill Loop, Honey Creek, Iowa. Registration is $5 per person; no charge for children 4 years and under.
- Omaha Storm Chasers celebrate Take Meowt to the Ballgame is May 25 at 6:05 p.m. Game is held at Werner Park.
- Touch of Grey plays on May 25 starting at 7 p.m. at Stinson Park located in Aksarben Village. FREE
Things to do on Sunday
- A Fontenelle Forest naturalist will lead the Habitat Hike at Neale Woods on May 26 from 2 to 4 p.m. The hike is free for Fontenelle Forest members and $15 for non-members. Registration is required.
- Omaha Storm Chasers celebrate Family Funday activities on May 26 at 2:05 p.m. featuring balloon artists, face painters, Wildlife Encounters, and more. Game is held at Werner Park.
Things to do on Monday
- The Memorial Day Observance at Prospect Hill Cemetery, 3203 Parker St., is on May 27 at 10:45 a.m. Speakers include Master of Ceremonies Shannon Justice, PHC Board Trustee and cemetery expert; Omaha attorney Lawrence Dwyer, author of “Standing Bear’s Quest for Freedom: The First Civil Rights Victory for Native Americans”; Jim Fogarty; and the Rev. Selwyn Q. Bachus, senior pastor of Salem Baptist Church, will deliver the Invocation and Benediction. The Prospect Hill Preservation Brass Band will play traditional marches and patriotic music followed by a three-volley salute by the First Nebraska Volunteer Infantry, a Civil War reenactment group. Boy Scout Troop 42, from Dundee Presbyterian Church, will raise the flag and lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Free-will donations will be accepted.
- American Legion Post No. 1 will hold the annual Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony at Forest Lawn Cemetery, 7909 Mormon Bridge Road, on May 27 at 10 a.m.
- Benson American Legion Family Post No. 112 will hold the annual Mount Hope Cemetery Memorial Day Ceremony is on May 27 from 11 a.m. to noon at the cemetery located at 7602 Military Ave. The ceremony will take place in the veterans section at the top of the hill near the obelisk monument. The keynote speaker will be former United States Representative Hal Daub.
- Kids can dig through the Patriotic Sensory Bin on Memorial Day, May 27, at Learning Express, 120 Regency Parkway. The activity starts a noon. The activity is free and open to all ages.
- Monday Night Market is held on the first Monday of the month in Olde Town Elkhorn. The market features farmers and makers and runs from 5 to 8 p.m. FREE
More things to do over Memorial Day Weekend
There are a lot more ideas on things to do in the summer in Omaha. Start with reading the Omaha Summer Guide.