This Friday, September 11, 2026, marks a quarter century since the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, at the Pentagon, and in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Every year since, the country has paused on that date for moments of silence, the reading of victims' names at the National September 11 Memorial in lower Manhattan, and ceremonies at the Pentagon and in Shanksville. This year's milestone anniversary is drawing extra attention in the days leading up to it.
At the White House, preparations are underway for an event honoring first responders from the New York Police Department, with plans reported to include a display connected to the history of the World Trade Center site, often called Ground Zero. The gesture is part of a broader pattern of the federal government marking the anniversary each year, though a 25th anniversary carries particular symbolic weight for survivors, families of victims, and the first responder community that answered the call in 2001 and, in many cases, continues to deal with health effects from their service at the site.
The State Department also published its public schedule for the day, part of the routine flow of government business that continues alongside anniversary preparations. In New York, city and state officials are expected to join families of victims at the memorial plaza, where the names of those killed are read aloud each year, a tradition that has continued uninterrupted since the attacks.
For many Americans, the 25th anniversary is likely to prompt reflection on how the country and the world have changed since 2001, from air travel security to foreign policy to how a generation too young to remember the day learns about it. Schools, museums, and civic organizations across the country typically hold their own remembrances around the date, and this year is expected to be no exception.
Formal ceremonies are expected Friday morning at the three attack sites, with the White House and New York officials both participating in remembrance events during the week.
Why is this year's anniversary getting extra attention?
It is the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a milestone that has prompted additional commemorations from the White House and officials in New York.
Where are the main ceremonies held?
Traditionally at the National September 11 Memorial in lower Manhattan, the Pentagon, and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the four hijacked planes were involved.