The national Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery is open to the public this Wednesday, Nov. 11, and starts at 11 a.m. Eastern. For people who can't get to Virginia, the Department of Veterans Affairs has named 48 regional sites in 24 states as VA-approved observances.
Each of those sites gets ceremonial support from the military for its event, along with Veterans Day posters and a certificate from the VA secretary.
What happens at Arlington on Nov. 11
VA and the Veterans Day National Committee co-host the National Veterans Day Observance. The Presidential Wreath Laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier comes first. The crowd then gathers in the Memorial Amphitheater, where flags are carried in and officials give speeches, though VA's announcement does not say who will place the wreath or speak this year.
The cemetery's page on its national ceremonies puts attendance at some 5,000 visitors for each of its two big observances, on Veterans Day and Memorial Day.
Arlington is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The main entrance at 1 Memorial Avenue sits about a five-minute walk west of the Arlington Cemetery Metro station, and rideshare cars drop off in front of the Welcome Center at the same address. From Rosslyn station it is about 15 minutes on foot to the Ord and Weitzel Gate on the north side.
Most visitors won't need a REAL ID. People who park in the Welcome Center garage or arrive on foot, by Metro or by rideshare go through standard security screening inside the Welcome Center, the cemetery's parking page says. The ID rule covers adults in vehicles authorized to drive onto the grounds, such as funeral attendees and family pass holders.
The cemetery's news page had no 2026 visitor advisory for the ceremony as of Monday morning. Details such as road closures and amphitheater seating were not yet public.
The 48 regional observances
Texas leads with five sites. California and Indiana have four each, and the list mixes city and county ceremonies with parades, cemeteries, a memorial wall and a National Guard armory.
| State | VA-approved regional sites |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Mobile, Madison County, Birmingham |
| Arizona | Phoenix Veterans Day Parade |
| Arkansas | Springdale |
| California | Beaumont, Palm Springs, Truckee, Merced Field of Honor |
| Florida | Bunnell (Flagler County), H.C. Veterans Memorial Park and Rear Admiral LeRoy Collins Jr. Veterans Museum, Ponce Inlet (Volusia County) |
| Georgia | Georgia Veterans Day Association, Atlanta |
| Indiana | Dana, Oak Hill Cemetery in Evansville, Sullivan County, Indianapolis |
| Iowa | Iowa Veterans Cemetery, Adel |
| Kansas | Leavenworth |
| Maryland | Annapolis, Baltimore, Brunswick |
| Massachusetts | Fall River |
| Michigan | Oscoda County |
| Minnesota | Minnesota National Guard Armory, Duluth |
| Mississippi | Long Beach, Mississippi Gulf Coast Veterans Parade (D'Iberville, Biloxi, Gulfport, Ocean Springs) |
| Missouri | St. Louis, Butler County Veterans Memorial Wall in Poplar Bluff |
| Montana | Lincoln |
| North Carolina | Cumberland County, Jacksonville |
| Oklahoma | Ponca City, Langston, Duncan (Stephens County) |
| Oregon | Linn County Veterans Day Parade, Hermiston Cemetery Avenue of Flags |
| South Carolina | North Charleston |
| Tennessee | Gatlinburg |
| Texas | El Paso, Austin, Fort Worth (Tarrant County), Zavala County, Killeen, Harker Heights and Copperas Cove |
| Virginia | Farmville, Virginia Beach |
| Washington | Auburn, West Richland |
VA's list gives no start times. Check the city's or organizer's own announcement before you go. For ceremonies and parades that didn't make the regional list, the department keeps a national events calendar.
Mail does not run on Nov. 11. National parks also waive entrance fees that day for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, as Edit USA's guide to what is open and closed explains.
