Remembrance Day 2026 was Wednesday, 11 November. The silence was held at 11am local time: two minutes in the UK and Canada, and one minute in Australia. That put the UK's Armistice Day silence at 11:00 GMT (6am in New York), Sydney's at 00:00 GMT and Ottawa's at 16:00 GMT. The day is not a bank holiday in the UK or a public holiday in Australia, but in Canada it is a statutory holiday for federal workers and in most provinces, with Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and Nova Scotia the main exceptions.[1][5][8][12]
 | |
| Date | Wednesday, November 11, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Also called | Armistice Day (UK, New Zealand), Poppy Day |
| Silence | 11am local time |
| Length | Two minutes (UK, Canada); one minute (Australia) |
| UK silence | 11:00 GMT |
| Ottawa ceremony | About 10:30am to 11:30am ET |
| Canberra ceremony | 10:45am AEDT, Australian War Memorial |
| Remembrance Sunday (UK) | November 8, 2026 |
| Marks | The Armistice of 11am, November 11, 1918 |
| US equivalent | Veterans Day |
Is today Remembrance Day?
Yes. Remembrance Day always falls on November 11, whatever the day of the week, and in 2026 that is a Wednesday. The date marks the Armistice that ended the fighting of the First World War, which took effect at 11am on November 11, 1918. The Royal British Legion calls it the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, and the Australian War Memorial says the allied nations picked that exact moment to remember their war dead.[1][5]
Searchers often mix it up with Remembrance Sunday. In the UK that is the second Sunday of November, which this year was November 8, when the King led the national service at the Cenotaph in London. Armistice Day itself is today, and many towns hold a second, shorter gathering at their war memorial just before 11am.[1][3]
What time is the silence?
The rule is simple: 11am wherever you are. Because the time is local, the silence moves around the world over about 21 hours, starting in New Zealand and finishing on Canada's Pacific coast.
| Country | Silence | Local time | GMT |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (Armistice Day) | Ceremonies at 11am | 11:00 NZDT | 22:00 (Nov 10) |
| Australia, east coast | One minute | 11:00 AEDT | 00:00 |
| Australia, Perth | One minute | 11:00 AWST | 03:00 |
| United Kingdom | Two minutes | 11:00 GMT | 11:00 |
| Canada, Ottawa and Toronto | Two minutes | 11:00 EST | 16:00 |
| Canada, Vancouver | Two minutes | 11:00 PST | 19:00 |
The GMT column is our own conversion using the clocks in force on November 11. Most of south-east Australia is on daylight saving time, Queensland is not, so Brisbane's 11am comes an hour after Sydney's.
Armistice Day in the UK
What happened today. The national two-minute silence was held at 11:00 GMT on Wednesday, 108 years after the Armistice took effect. In London, poppies were laid at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, and the service there was attended by government ministers, senior military figures, schoolchildren and cadets.[27][28] In Staffordshire, the Royal British Legion led an Act of Remembrance on the Armed Forces Memorial at its National Remembrance Gardens in Alrewas (the National Memorial Arboretum), with the silence at 11am followed by music, poetry and readings.[27][29] At most services the Last Post sounds on the stroke of 11, then come the two minutes, closed by Reveille.[28]
The Royal British Legion invites people across the UK to stop for a Two Minute Silence at 11am today, wherever they are. Local councils and Legion branches hold short services at war memorials, usually with the Last Post played on the stroke of 11 and the two minutes straight after. In West Bridgford, for example, the mayor of Rushcliffe asked people to arrive in good time before 11am for the town's parade on Central Avenue.[1][3][20]
It is a normal working day. The GOV.UK list of bank holidays has no November date for England and Wales; the only one in Scotland this month is St Andrew's Day on November 30. Shops, banks, schools and post offices keep their usual hours, and many workplaces simply pause at 11am.[4]
The silence has a long history. The Australian War Memorial records that two minutes' silence was first held at the new Cenotaph in London on the first anniversary in 1919, after King George V asked people across the British Empire to stop what they were doing at the hour of the Armistice. The idea is credited to Edward Honey, an Australian journalist working in Fleet Street.[5]
Remembrance Day in Australia
Australia asks for one minute, not two. In 1997 Governor-General Sir William Deane formally declared November 11 as Remembrance Day and urged Australians to observe one minute's silence at 11am each year for those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts. RSL Tasmania repeated that call this week, inviting Tasmanians to pause at 11am on Wednesday.[5][7]
The national ceremony is at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, starting at 10:45am on the Parade Ground with Australia's Federation Guard. The Memorial's galleries reopen from 1pm, and the daily Last Post Ceremony is at 4:30pm.[6]
It is not a public holiday in any state or territory. In Australia, Anzac Day on April 25 is the public holiday for war commemoration, and Remembrance Day is marked during a normal working day.[21][7]
Remembrance Day in Canada
In Canada, people pause for two minutes at 11am. The National Remembrance Day Ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa starts at about 10:30am with the veterans' march and is due to end at about 11:30am with the march-off. In Toronto the TTC stops its vehicles for two minutes at 11am, and serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces ride free with one companion.[8][9][10]
What happened today. The national ceremony in Ottawa began with the veterans' march to the National War Memorial at 10:30am Eastern, and thousands of people lined the streets near Parliament. Governor General Louise Arbour received the vice-regal salute and inspected the troops before the two minutes of silence at 11am (16:00 GMT). Prime Minister Mark Carney, who attended, called remembrance "an act of vigilance and determination."[30][31] Arbour said this year's ceremony carries "added weight" after four soldiers died in a fire during a training exercise at CFB Wainwright in Alberta in October, and a separate ceremony in St. Albert was set to honour them.[30][31] Carney was due to fly to Dublin straight after the ceremony, the first stop on a trip that also takes him to Asia.[30]
Is Remembrance Day a stat holiday?
It depends on where you work. Remembrance Day is a federal statutory holiday, so federal offices, Canada Post, the Canada Revenue Agency, Service Canada and passport offices are closed, and most banks shut their branches for the day (ATMs still work).[9][8][17]
Provincial rules are where it gets confusing:
- Ontario: not a public holiday. Employers do not have to give the day off, and shops, malls, restaurants and schools are open. LCBO and Beer Store locations open at noon.[15][9][8]
- Quebec: not a statutory holiday.[12][22]
- Manitoba: not a general holiday, but the province limits which businesses can open and has special pay rules for people who work. In Winnipeg, Liquor Marts and the big malls open at 1pm and transit runs a Sunday schedule.[13][14]
- Nova Scotia: covered by its own Remembrance Day Act and not a paid holiday. Most big grocery stores in the Halifax area, including Superstore, Sobeys, Walmart and Costco, are closed, while some smaller grocers open. Labour Minister Nolan Young said this week the province is not considering a change.[11][16]
- New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador: a paid statutory holiday; CTV notes Nova Scotia is the only Atlantic province without one.[11]
- British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the three territories: a statutory holiday. In Calgary, transit runs a Saturday level of service and veterans ride free.[12][22][23]
Why the poppy?
The poppy grew on the churned-up battlefields of France and Belgium, and the sight moved Canadian doctor John McCrae to write "In Flanders Fields" in May 1915. American academic Moina Michael then campaigned for the poppy as a symbol of remembrance, and French campaigner Anna Guérin brought French-made poppies to the new British Legion in 1921. The Legion's first Poppy Appeal raised more than £100,000 for veterans' housing and jobs, and it opened its own Poppy Factory in 1922.[2][24]
How it differs from Veterans Day
The United States keeps the same date but a different purpose. Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954, and it is now a federal holiday that honours all US military veterans. That is why American banks and post offices close while British ones stay open. For the US details, see our guide to what's open and closed on Veterans Day 2026.[25]
France also marks November 11 as a national public holiday, so this year the French get a midweek day off.[26] New Zealand calls it Armistice Day; there, Returned Services' Association groups hold small ceremonies and lay wreaths at 11am.[18][19]
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| November 11, 1918 | The Armistice takes effect at 11am and the fighting stops on the Western Front |
| November 11, 1919 | First two minutes' silence, at the Cenotaph in London |
| 1921 | First British Legion Poppy Appeal |
| 1954 | The US renames Armistice Day as Veterans Day |
| 1997 | Australia formally declares November 11 as Remembrance Day |
| November 8, 2026 | Remembrance Sunday in the UK |
| November 11, 2026 | Remembrance Day / Armistice Day, silence at 11am local time |
Frequently asked questions
Is today Remembrance Day?
Yes. Remembrance Day is November 11 every year, and in 2026 it falls on Wednesday.[6]
What time is the two-minute silence today?
11am local time. In the UK that is 11:00 GMT, which is 6am in New York and 10pm in Sydney.[1]
What time is the minute's silence in Australia?
11am in each state's own time: 00:00 GMT for Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart, 01:00 GMT for Brisbane and 03:00 GMT for Perth.[5][7]
Is Remembrance Day a bank holiday in the UK?
No. Workplaces, schools and banks stay open.[4]
What's open on Remembrance Day in Canada?
Federal offices, Canada Post and most bank branches are closed everywhere. In Ontario and Quebec, most shops and schools are open; in Manitoba and Nova Scotia, many stores close all day or until 1pm.[9][14][16]
Is mail delivered on Remembrance Day in Canada?
No. Canada Post does not deliver or collect mail on November 11.[8][9]
Why is it held at 11am?
Because the Armistice that ended the fighting in 1918 took effect at 11am on November 11.[1][5]
More from today: Veterans Day 2026: what's open and closed, the UK cold health alert from Thursday and the Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
References
- "Armistice Day". The Royal British Legion. Accessed November 11, 2026.
- "The Poppy and Remembrance". The Royal British Legion. Accessed November 11, 2026.
- "Remembrance and Armistice Day 2026: Confirmed services and parades across Nottinghamshire". West Bridgford Wire. November 8, 2026.
- "UK bank holidays". GOV.UK. Accessed November 11, 2026.
- "Remembrance Day traditions". Australian War Memorial. Last updated September 30, 2026.
- "2026 Remembrance Day program". Australian War Memorial. Accessed November 11, 2026.
- "Tasmania To Pause For Remembrance Day" (RSL Tasmania media release). Tasmanian Times. November 9, 2026.
- "Remembrance Day in Toronto: ceremonies, what's closed, other info". CityNews Toronto. November 9, 2026 (updated November 10).
- "Where to observe Remembrance Day across the GTHA, and what's open and closed". CTV News. November 10, 2026.
- "Remembrance Day in Ottawa: What's open, what's closed and how to pay your respects". Ottawa Citizen. November 9, 2026.
- "Should Remembrance Day be a paid holiday in Nova Scotia, like other Atlantic provinces?". CTV News Atlantic. November 10, 2026.
- "Is Remembrance Day a stat holiday in Canada? Not in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba or Nova Scotia". Nacionale. November 10, 2026.
- "General Holidays". Government of Manitoba, Employment Standards. Accessed November 11, 2026.
- "Remembrance Day 2026: What's open and closed in Manitoba". CTV News Winnipeg. November 10, 2026.
- "Public holidays". Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Government of Ontario. Accessed November 11, 2026.
- "Remembrance Day 2026: What's open, what's closed in the Halifax area". PNI Atlantic News (SaltWire). November 10, 2026.
- "Public holidays". Canada Revenue Agency. Accessed November 11, 2026.
- "RSA to mark Armistice Day at 'The Lone Pine'". Otago Daily Times. November 9, 2026.
- "Military firepower lines up for Armistice Day event". Local Matters. November 8, 2026.
- "Rushcliffe Mayor invites community to mark armistice two minutes silence in West Bridgford". West Bridgford Wire. November 10, 2026.
- "Remembrance Day". Wikipedia. Accessed November 11, 2026.
- "Public holidays in Canada". Wikipedia. Accessed November 11, 2026.
- "Remembrance Day in Calgary: What's open, closed". CTV News Calgary. November 10, 2026.
- "In Flanders Fields". Wikipedia. Accessed November 11, 2026.
- "Veterans Day". Wikipedia. Accessed November 11, 2026.
- "November 11, 2026: 10 great things to do in Paris and Ile-de-France on this public holiday". Sortir à Paris. November 9, 2026.
- "Services being held across UK to mark Armistice Day". BBC News. November 11, 2026.
- "UK falls silent for Armistice Day". Rayo (Hits Radio). November 11, 2026.
- "Staffordshire leads the nation for Armistice Day". Rayo (Downtown Country). November 11, 2026.
- "Remembrance Day ‘connects us across generations,’ governor general says". Global News. November 11, 2026.
- "The Latest: Canadians gather to mark Remembrance Day". The Canadian Press via Lethbridge News Now. November 11, 2026.