How consumers marked Memorial Day 2025 (and what brands can learn)

With inflation still impacting household budgets, and the cost of travel, food, and entertainment continuing to rise, was Memorial Day weekend 2025 more of a wash out than the unofficial start of summer?

We surveyed 1,000 US working age adults to find out how consumers marked Memorial Day 2025 — from where they went and how much they spent, to what emotions they associate with the holiday and how plans differed across key demographics. The insights give brands a better understanding of the the commercial opportunities of the holiday, and how they can take advantage of them in 2026.

Quick summary

• 30% of consumers made plans in advance of Memorial Day.
• Relaxing at home or attending a barbecue/picnic are the most common activities.
• Only 7% traveled out of state to mark the weekend.
• Most consumers spent less than $100, but men spent more than women.
• The bulk of Memorial Day spending goes on food and drink.
• Memorial Day is strongly associated with patriotism, but men are more likely to view the holiday as important than women.

Planning for Memorial Day is mostly last-minute

Only 30% of consumers had specific plans for Memorial Day weekend ahead of the event. About the same share (33%) didn’t do anything special at all, while 37% spontaneously decided how to mark the occasion. Men were more likely to have firm plans in place, while women were more likely to not do anything.

The most common activities include relaxing at home (41%), attending a barbecue or picnic (32%), and shopping Memorial Day sales either online or in stores (27%). While these activities are relatively consistent across genders, men are significantly more likely to say they celebrated by watching patriotic movies or programming (15% versus 8%). 

This interest in patriotic movies or programming may stem from how men feel about Memorial Day weekend overall. We found that men are significantly more likely to view the weekend as important (65%) in comparison to women (48%). 

Memorial Day is celebrated close to home – with most money spent on food

Despite Memorial Day’s reputation as the unofficial start of summer, most people stay close to home rather than going on vacation. About 66% say they remained local, while just 16% traveled within their state and 7% traveled out of state. Notably, men are more than twice as likely as women to travel in-state (23% versus 9%) and women and those over 50 years old are significantly more likely to stay local. 

People kept their Memorial Day spending relatively modest: most spent less than $100 (42.4%). However, men are far more likely than women to fall into the larger spending range of $100–$249 (31% versus 19%), while women are more likely to spend nothing at all celebrating the holiday (23% versus 11%).

Food is the top category for spending (45%), followed by shopping sales (12%), and alcoholic beverages (8%). Gender plays a role here too: men are more likely to spend on alcohol than women (11% versus 5%).

More than half of respondents (55%) said they spent about the same as last year, but men were more likely to say they spent more (20% versus 11% of women). These patterns reflect a broader theme: men tend to be more engaged, celebratory, and willing to spend on Memorial Day, while women lean more cautious and reserved.

Patriotism and gratitude are the top emotions associated with Memorial Day weekend

When asked to choose emotions they associate with Memorial Day weekend, more than two in five most often cite patriotism (44%), gratitude (42%), and relaxation (35%). These sentiments are generally aligned across men and women, although men report slightly higher levels of excitement and joy, while women are more likely to associate the holiday with sadness.

Only a small percentage of respondents (10% of males and 9% of females) feel indifferent towards Memorial Day weekend. Very few respondents (2% for both genders) selected ‘None’ as their emotional association, indicating that the vast majority of people have some emotional connection to the holiday.

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