A Quarter Century Since September 11, 2001
Friday, September 11, 2026 marks 25 years since the attacks on the World Trade Center. Across New York City, the day is observed with a family ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial, Tribute in Light over Lower Manhattan, firehouse and neighborhood remembrances in every borough, and quiet visits to memorials that most of the year go unnoticed.
This page is a factual summary of what has been publicly announced by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the FDNY and event organizers as of publication. Some gatherings are open to anyone; others are reserved for the families of those who were killed. Where that distinction matters, it is stated plainly below. Details can change close to the day — the organizers'' own pages, linked in each section, are the authority.
The 25th Annual Commemoration Ceremony
When: Friday, September 11, 2026. The program begins at 8:30 AM; the first moment of silence is observed at 8:46 AM.
Where: The 9/11 Memorial plaza, 180 Greenwich Street, Manhattan.
Access: Not open to the general public. Access to the Memorial plaza begins at 7:00 AM for 9/11 family members only, using the credentials mailed to them.
Family members gather on the plaza to read aloud the names of the 2,983 people killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks and the February 26, 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Seven moments of silence are observed during the ceremony: when each tower was struck, when each tower fell, the times corresponding to the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93, and a final moment honoring those who have died of 9/11-related illness and injury in the years since. The lottery for this year''s reading of the names closed on August 2, 2026.
How the public can observe
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum streams the ceremony live at 911memorial.org/watch beginning at 8:40 AM. Members of the public may visit the Memorial plaza when it reopens that afternoon.
Tribute in Light
When: The night of Friday, September 11, 2026, from dusk to dawn.
Where: Assembled on the roof of the Battery Parking Garage, south of the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan.
Cost: Free. There is no ticket, no venue and no entry point — it is viewed from the street and from across the harbor.
Tribute in Light was first presented six months after the attacks and has appeared every year since. Eighty-eight 7,000-watt xenon bulbs are arranged into two 48-foot squares that echo the footprint and orientation of the Twin Towers. The beams reach up to four miles into the sky and, on a clear night, are visible from as far as 60 miles around Lower Manhattan. The installation is produced by Michael Ahern Production Services and presented in partnership with Con Edison.
Where to view it
New York City Tourism + Conventions points to the Brooklyn waterfront, Sunset Park in Brooklyn and Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City as particularly good vantage points. Because the beams are visible from a wide radius, there is no need to travel into Lower Manhattan to see them, and any elevated or open view toward the southern tip of Manhattan will do.
As an extension of the installation, buildings and landmarks across New York and around the country are invited to light their facades in blue from dusk to dawn on September 11.
Official information: 911memorial.org/visit/memorial/tribute-light
Visiting the 9/11 Memorial and Museum
The Memorial plaza, with its twin reflecting pools and the Survivor Tree, is closed to general visitation for much of September 11 while the family ceremony takes place, and reopens to the public that afternoon.
The Museum is closed to the general public on September 11. On that day the first entry is at 8:00 AM and the last entry at 5:30 PM for 9/11 family members, who are admitted free and are asked to reserve tickets in advance; the Museum closes at 7:00 PM. Reservation questions are handled at (212) 266-5201.
Outside the anniversary itself, the Museum''s core exhibitions are joined by rotating displays. Two are relevant to the anniversary year: Responding in Ink: Comic Books, Graphic Novels, and 9/11, and In Their Honor: 25 Years of 9/11-Inspired Service.
Official information: 911memorial.org
Public Remembrances Open to Everyone
The FDNY has published a list of commemorative events that are open to members of the public who wish to pay their respects. The Department''s own 25th anniversary ceremony, held at FerryHawks Stadium on Staten Island, is a private event for the families of those lost on September 11, 2001 and in the years since.
Open to the public:
| Event | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Father Mychal Judge Walk of Remembrance | September 6, 2026 | Father Mychal Judge Memorial, West 31st Street at Seventh Avenue, Manhattan |
| Commemorative film screenings: Remembering Judge and Resilience | September 6 at 1:30 PM and September 11 at 6:00 PM | Firehouse: DCTV Cinema, Chinatown, Manhattan |
| Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance candlelight vigil | September 10, 2026, 6:00 PM | Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance, Maimonides Park, Coney Island |
| FDNY firehouse open house | September 10, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM | Participating FDNY firehouses and EMS stations citywide |
| Firefighters Memorial ceremony | September 11, 2026 | FDNY Firefighters Memorial, Riverside Drive at West 100th Street, Manhattan |
| Postcards Memorial remembrance | September 11, 2026 | Postcards Memorial, St. George, Staten Island |
| Dawn to dusk remembrance at Ten House | September 11, 2026 | FDNY Ten House, 124 Liberty Street, Manhattan |
The two film screenings are ticketed, with proceeds supporting the FDNY Foundation. Remembering Judge recounts the life of FDNY chaplain Father Mychal Judge, the first officially recorded victim of the attacks; Resilience examines the long-term health effects on FDNY members who took part in the rescue and recovery at the World Trade Center.
Official information: nyc.gov/fdny September 11th Remembrance Events
Events for Families of Victims
Several gatherings announced by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum are for 9/11 family members and their guests rather than the general public. They are listed here for accuracy, not as public invitations:
- Thursday, September 10, 5:00 PM — A memorial Mass for the 25th anniversary at St. Patrick''s Cathedral, Fifth Avenue, by invitation to families, with RSVP.
- Friday, September 11, from 11:00 AM — The Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC, 251 Fulton Street) opens to families. At 3:30 PM the New York Philharmonic, led by Gustavo Dudamel, performs with the U.S. Army Field Band Soldiers'' Chorus in a commemorative concert. Seating is first come, first served and availability is limited, with RSVP.
- Friday, September 11, 3:00 PM — An interfaith memorial service at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, 130 Liberty Street, open to family members and their guests.
A Free Memorial Concert Open to the Public
On the evening of Friday, September 11, the American Symphony Orchestra performs New York Resounds on the Bryant Park lawn from 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM, conducted by music director Leon Botstein. The program — Copland''s Fanfare for the Common Man, the Adagio from Mahler''s Tenth Symphony, George Walker''s Lyric for Strings, and works by Ives and Haydn — was assembled to mark the 25th anniversary. It is free, no tickets are needed, and the performance will be livestreamed. The same program is repeated free at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts in Queens on Sunday, September 13.
Official information: bryantpark.org
Places to Pay Respects Quietly
Beyond Lower Manhattan, several neighborhood memorials serve as sites for more personal remembrance and are accessible to the public: the Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance at Maimonides Park in Coney Island, the Staten Island September 11 Memorial (Postcards) in St. George, Tribute Park in Rockaway Park, Queens, and the FDNY Firefighters Memorial on Riverside Drive in Manhattan. Ten House, the firehouse directly across from the World Trade Center site, is open to visitors throughout September 11.
Getting There and What to Expect
Expect heightened security and pedestrian management around the World Trade Center site through the day on September 11, along with street closures in the immediate area of the Memorial plaza during the morning ceremony. No comprehensive closure list has been published in advance; the NYPD posts day-of guidance and the MTA posts any service changes. Subway service to the area runs on the 1, R, W, E, 4, 5, A, C, J and Z lines, and the PATH terminal at the World Trade Center is the most direct arrival point from New Jersey. Driving into Lower Manhattan that morning is not advisable.
If you plan to view Tribute in Light, the practical choice is to stay out of the immediate memorial area entirely and watch from the Brooklyn or Queens waterfront after dusk.
Verified Sources
- National September 11 Memorial & Museum — 25th anniversary commemoration, Tribute in Light, Museum access and family events
- FDNY (nyc.gov) — September 11th remembrance events open to the public
- New York City Tourism + Conventions — citywide commemorations and Tribute in Light viewing guidance
- Bryant Park and the American Symphony Orchestra — New York Resounds program details
Where an organizer had not published a detail — including a full list of street closures — this guide says so rather than estimating.