When is Remembrance Sunday 2026 and when is the two-minute silence?

Remembrance Sunday 2026 is on Sunday 8 November, with a two-minute silence at 11am, according to GOV.UK and the Royal British Legion. The Armistice Day silence follows on Wednesday 11 November, also at 11am.

GOV.UK says the National Service of Remembrance will be held at the Cenotaph on Whitehall, London, starting at 11am, and that the national two-minute silence is marked by the firing of guns from King’s Troop on Horse Guards Parade. The Royal British Legion says Remembrance Sunday falls on the second Sunday in November, and that it observes a two-minute silence at 11am on Remembrance Sunday as well as on 11 November.

What time is the Cenotaph service on Remembrance Sunday?

GOV.UK gives this schedule for the service in London. Whitehall opens to the public at 8am. All detachments form up on the Cenotaph from 10:30am. Participants process out from 10:50am. The service starts at 11am. It concludes at 11:25am, when Royal British Legion detachments disperse past the Cenotaph.

The Royal British Legion says the Cenotaph Parade, a march past of 10,000 veterans and eligible participants, follows the National Act of Remembrance, which is led by HM The King. The parade forms up on Horse Guards Parade, marches down Whitehall past the Cenotaph, turns right on Great George Street and right again on Horse Guards Road, where a member of the Royal Family takes the salute. The Legion says places were allocated through service and unit associations, and registration for individuals has closed.

Can the public watch at the Cenotaph?

No tickets or passes are needed, according to GOV.UK, and the public are welcome to watch from the pavements along Whitehall and Parliament Street. It warns that entry may be limited if the area becomes full. Video screens will be north of the Cenotaph, near the Green and outside Dover House, and south of it on the corner of King Charles Street.

GOV.UK also lists these rules: there is an extensive policing security operation, and visitors should allow plenty of time for security checks and not bring large bags. Unauthorised use of drones in the area is prohibited at all times, and Great George Street will be closed to the public. Photography is permitted, but GOV.UK asks spectators not to take photographs during the two-minute silence.

Where can I watch it on television?

GOV.UK says the event can be watched on television on the BBC, Sky and ITV.

What is the two-minute silence on 11 November?

The Royal British Legion says the Armistice, an agreement to end the fighting of the First World War as a prelude to peace negotiations, began at 11am on 11 November 1918. It says Armistice Day has been observed every year since 1919 with a two-minute silence, held at 11am on 11 November and observed at war memorials and in public places throughout the UK and Commonwealth. In 2026, 11 November is a Wednesday by our calendar count; the sources print only the date.

The Legion also says the National Remembrance Gardens will broadcast an Armistice Day Service of Remembrance live from the Armed Forces Memorial.

Is there free rail travel for Remembrance weekend?

The Department for Transport and the Ministry of Defence say free rail travel is open to bereaved military family members on National Rail services from 7 to 8 November 2026. It covers Remembrance events, and for the first time, one next of kin of a service person who died while serving is eligible. Families have until 16 October 2026 to apply for a free ticket through the Defence Medical Welfare Service.