Remembrance Sunday 2026 is Sunday 8 November. The National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in Whitehall begins at 11am with the two-minute silence, and BBC One normally covers it live from mid-morning, with the march past of veterans afterwards. The Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance is the evening before, Saturday 7 November. Armistice Day, with its own 11am silence, is Wednesday 11 November.
Remembrance Sunday 2026 on TV: Cenotaph Service, Festival of Remembrance and the Silence
Last checked: 17 October 2026. Broadcasters usually confirm their Remembrance times in the final week or so; until then, anything marked “usual pattern” comes from previous years, not a 2026 announcement.
What time is the two-minute silence?
11am on both days. On Remembrance Sunday, 8 November 2026, the silence starts the national service at the Cenotaph, marked by a gun from the King’s Troop. On Armistice Day, Wednesday 11 November, it is held at 11am again, wherever you are: in schools, offices and shops as well as at memorials.
What time is the Cenotaph service on TV?
The timings below are the official 2026 running order from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which organises the service:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 8am | Whitehall opens to the public |
| From 10.30am | Detachments form up at the Cenotaph |
| From 10.50am | Participants process out to the Cenotaph |
| 11am | Two-minute silence, marked by guns fired by the King’s Troop on Horse Guards Parade; the service begins |
| 11.25am | The service ends and the Royal British Legion march past begins |
BBC One (usual pattern). The BBC has not announced its 2026 programme. In 2025 Remembrance Sunday: The Cenotaph ran on BBC One from 10.15am to 12.40pm, presented by Sophie Raworth and Petroc Trelawny, so it covered the build-up, the service and the march past in one go. Expect a similar slot this year. Check the BBC One TV guide on the morning for the confirmed start.
Evening highlights (usual pattern). In 2025 BBC Two showed a highlights programme at 6pm, running about an hour and a quarter, which is useful if you were at a local service in the morning.
Is it on ITV, Sky News or the BBC News channel?
The government’s 2026 guidance says the service can be watched on the BBC, ITV and Sky. BBC One is the long-standing home and the one to choose if you want the march past in full. ITV1 and Sky have not yet published how long their coverage runs, so treat their times as unconfirmed until the week of the service; the ITV1 TV guide will show the slot once it is in the listings.
If you are watching through an aerial, BBC One, ITV1 and the news channels are all on Freeview, and our Freeview channel guide lists where they sit.
The Festival of Remembrance: Saturday 7 November
The Royal British Legion has confirmed the Festival of Remembrance 2026 for Saturday 7 November, with an afternoon and an evening performance at the Royal Albert Hall. Tickets went through a members’ ballot that closed in June.
On TV (usual pattern). The evening performance is the one the BBC broadcasts. In 2025 it went out on BBC One at 9pm and ran for about an hour and a half, with Rod Stewart, Sam Ryder, Keala Settle, Blessing Offor and The Wellermen among the performers. The BBC has not yet named the 2026 host, performers or time. The evening ends with poppy petals falling from the roof of the hall during the silence. See what’s on TV on Saturday for the night’s full line-up.
Armistice Day: Wednesday 11 November
Armistice Day always falls on 11 November, whatever the day of the week. In 2026 it is a Wednesday, so the two-minute silence at 11am lands in the middle of a working and school day. The national event on the day is usually held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, run by the Royal British Legion.
On TV (usual pattern). There is no long BBC One programme as there is on the Sunday. In recent years the 11am silence has been carried live on the rolling news channels, with reports through the day. No 2026 schedule has been published.
How to watch on iPlayer and catch up
- Live: BBC One’s coverage streams live on BBC iPlayer, on a smart TV, phone, tablet or laptop. You need a TV licence to watch live or on demand.
- On demand: the 2025 Cenotaph programme stayed on iPlayer for a year after broadcast, and the Festival of Remembrance was also available to watch again.
- Accessible versions: in 2025 both the Cenotaph programme and the Festival of Remembrance had signed versions on iPlayer.
If your TV is not connected to the internet yet, our guide to watching Freeview channels online covers the apps and what each needs.
The march past
Once the service ends at about 11.25am, the Royal British Legion’s detachments march past the Cenotaph. It involves thousands of veterans and civilians and takes well over an hour, which is why BBC One’s coverage normally runs until lunchtime. The commentary picks out the groups as they pass, and plenty of families watch for a relative’s regiment or association.
If you would rather be there, no ticket is needed for the public areas on Whitehall and Parliament Street, but space is limited and security checks take time. There are big screens along Whitehall, and the government asks people not to take photographs during the silence.
Will the royal family attend?
The royal family’s attendance at the 2026 service has not been announced. By tradition the monarch lays the first wreath after the silence. In 2025 King Charles did so, followed by the Prince of Wales, with the Prime Minister and other party leaders also laying wreaths, and Queen Camilla watching from the Foreign Office balcony. The King also attended the Festival of Remembrance the night before. We will update this page if Buckingham Palace confirms the 2026 arrangements.
Remembrance weekend at a glance
| Day | Date | What’s on |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 7 November | Festival of Remembrance, Royal Albert Hall; BBC One in the evening (usual pattern) |
| Sunday | 8 November | Cenotaph service, 11am; BBC One from mid-morning (usual pattern) |
| Wednesday | 11 November | Armistice Day, two-minute silence at 11am |
For everything else on the Sunday, see what’s on TV on Sunday, or start from tonight’s TV. The BBC Two TV guide has that channel’s day.
Remembrance Sunday TV FAQ
When is Remembrance Sunday 2027?
Sunday 14 November 2027. Remembrance Sunday is always the second Sunday in November, and Armistice Day the following week is Thursday 11 November 2027.
When is Remembrance Sunday 2026?
Sunday 8 November 2026. The National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in Whitehall starts at 11am with the two-minute silence. Armistice Day falls three days later, on Wednesday 11 November.
What time is the Cenotaph service on TV?
The service itself starts at 11am and ends at about 11.25am, after which the march past begins. BBC One’s coverage normally starts well before that: in 2025 it ran from 10.15am to 12.40pm. The BBC has not published its 2026 times yet.
Is the Remembrance Sunday service on ITV?
The government’s guidance for 2026 says the service can be watched on the BBC, ITV and Sky. BBC One carries the fullest coverage, including the march past. ITV1 and Sky have not announced their 2026 times.
What time is the two-minute silence?
11am on both days. On Remembrance Sunday the silence opens the Cenotaph service and is marked by guns fired by the King’s Troop on Horse Guards Parade. On Armistice Day, Wednesday 11 November, the country falls silent at 11am again.
When is the Festival of Remembrance 2026?
Saturday 7 November 2026 at the Royal Albert Hall, the night before Remembrance Sunday, according to the Royal British Legion. The BBC has not confirmed its broadcast yet. In 2025 it was shown on BBC One at 9pm.
Can I watch Remembrance Sunday on iPlayer?
Yes. In 2025 BBC One’s coverage streamed live on BBC iPlayer and was kept there for a year, and an evening highlights programme went out on BBC Two at 6pm. The BBC has not announced its 2026 plans yet.
Is there a signed version of the Cenotaph coverage?
In 2025 the BBC made a signed version of both the Cenotaph programme and the Festival of Remembrance available on iPlayer alongside the main broadcasts. The 2026 versions have not been announced yet.
Will the King be at the Cenotaph in 2026?
Nothing has been announced for 2026. The monarch traditionally lays the first wreath; in 2025 King Charles did so, followed by the Prince of Wales, with the Prime Minister and party leaders also present.
