How to Watch Remembrance Sunday 2026 Live: Cenotaph Service Times and Ceremonies Across the UK

Remembrance Sunday 2026 falls on 8 November, and the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in Whitehall will be broadcast live on BBC One from 10.15am to 12.40pm, with the two-minute silence at 11am marked by a gun fired by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery on Horse Guards Parade. Sky News carries the service from 10.30am to 12pm, GB News from 9.30am to 1pm, BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service from 10.30am to 11.45am, and a signed version is available on the BBC Red Button. The service ends at about 11.25am, when around 10,000 veterans and other participants march past the Cenotaph. Across the UK, national ceremonies take place at the Welsh National War Memorial in Cardiff, at the Stone of Remembrance on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and at the Cenotaph in the Garden of Remembrance at Belfast City Hall, alongside thousands of local services at war memorials, as the Westminster newsroom of The WP Times reports.

The day commemorates British and Commonwealth servicemen and women who died in the two world wars and later conflicts, as well as civilians, and it is held every year on the second Sunday of November. In London, Whitehall opens to the public at 8am, no tickets or passes are needed, and spectators watch from the pavements of Whitehall and Parliament Street after police security checks. In Wales, commemorations begin at 10.30am in Alexandra Gardens, Cardiff, with the Last Post at 10.59am and a gun salute for the silence. For those unable to attend, BBC iPlayer streams the BBC One coverage live, a TV licence is required to watch it, and highlights follow on BBC Two in the evening. Armistice Day itself falls on Wednesday 11 November, when a second two-minute silence is observed at 11am in workplaces, schools and public places across the country.

How to watch Remembrance Sunday 2026 on TV

Television remains the main way most people follow the national ceremony on Remembrance Sunday 2026. The BBC carries the longest live programme, while news channels provide shorter coverage built around the silence and the wreath laying. The listings below are based on published schedules, and start times can shift slightly on the day.

TV schedule for Sunday 8 November

Presenters and what the coverage includes

The BBC One programme for Remembrance Sunday 2026 is listed with Sophie Raworth and Petroc Trelawny as presenters. Coverage typically begins before the ceremony with the arrival of detachments and veterans on Whitehall, follows the two-minute silence, the Last Post, the laying of wreaths and the short religious service, and continues through the Royal British Legion march past.

ITV1 does not list a separate Cenotaph programme in its Sunday morning schedule. Viewers who want uninterrupted coverage of Remembrance Sunday 2026 should choose BBC One, Sky News or GB News.

Streaming, radio and accessible coverage

Remembrance Sunday 2026 can also be followed online and on the radio, which suits people travelling, working or attending local services who want to hear the national silence from London.

BBC iPlayer and the TV licence

The BBC One coverage of Remembrance Sunday 2026 streams live on BBC iPlayer. A TV licence is required to watch or stream programmes live on any channel and to watch BBC programmes on iPlayer, whether live or on demand.

For those who miss the live broadcast, the BBC Two highlights programme in the evening offers a condensed version of the service and the march past. BBC programmes are generally available to watch again on iPlayer after broadcast.

Radio and signed coverage

• BBC Radio 4: the National Service of Remembrance from 10.30am to 11.45am.
• BBC World Service: carries the same service for international listeners.
• BBC Red Button: a British Sign Language version of the BBC One coverage.
• GOV.UK: a British Sign Language information video about attending the event in person.
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport: highlights shared on its social media channels.

The Cenotaph service in London: timings and attendance

The National Service of Remembrance is organised by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport together with government colleagues, the armed forces and veterans' organisations. On Remembrance Sunday 2026 it follows a fixed order that has remained largely unchanged for decades.

Order of the morning

Attending in person

No tickets are needed for Remembrance Sunday 2026. Spectators watch from the pavements along Whitehall and Parliament Street, with video screens north and south of the Cenotaph. An accessible enclosure on the west side of Parliament Street near King Charles Street is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Large bags are discouraged, drones are banned and photography is not appropriate during the silence. Great George Street is closed to the public, and nearby stations including Westminster, Charing Cross and Embankment are expected to be very busy. Full details of closures and travel are in our guide to Whitehall road closures on 8 November.

"Do not take photographs during the two-minute silence."

(Department for Culture, Media and Sport, guidance for spectators at the National Service of Remembrance, GOV.UK, November 2026)

Where Remembrance Sunday ceremonies take place across the UK

Beyond Whitehall, each nation of the UK holds its own national act of remembrance on Remembrance Sunday 2026, and towns and villages gather at local war memorials. Most services are timed so that the two-minute silence falls at 11am.

Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast

• Cardiff: the national service for Wales at the Welsh National War Memorial in Alexandra Gardens, Cathays Park. Commemorations begin at 10.30am, the Last Post sounds at 10.59am, and the silence at 11am is marked by a gun salute from 104 Regiment Royal Artillery.
• Cardiff: First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth and Cardiff Council leader Chris Weaver are due to lay wreaths, and members of the public can lay their own wreaths after the ceremony.
• Edinburgh: Scotland's national ceremony at the Stone of Remembrance outside the City Chambers on the Royal Mile, traditionally followed by a service in St Giles' Cathedral.
• Belfast: the Lord Mayor leads the act of remembrance at the Cenotaph in the Garden of Remembrance at City Hall.

Local services and road closures

Thousands of local services for Remembrance Sunday 2026 take place in towns and villages, usually organised by councils, churches and Royal British Legion branches. Many include a parade from a church or civic building to the war memorial, a wreath laying and the reading of names.

Councils publish temporary road closures for these parades, often for an hour or two around 11am. Residents should check their local council website for timings, particularly in town centres where buses may be diverted during the morning.

The two-minute silence: times and etiquette

The two-minute silence is the central moment of Remembrance Sunday 2026. It is observed twice in November: on Remembrance Sunday and again on Armistice Day, 11 November.

When the silence is held

How to observe the silence

• Stop what you are doing shortly before 11am and remain silent for two minutes.
• Silence mobile phones and avoid conversation or photography.
• At work, many employers pause meetings or make an announcement before 11am.
• Children and schools often mark the silence on Armistice Day during the school day.
• A poppy can be worn in the weeks before Remembrance Sunday as a sign of remembrance and support for the Royal British Legion.

Remembrance weekend: other events to follow

Remembrance Sunday sits within a wider period of commemoration that begins in late October with the launch of the Poppy Appeal and continues to Armistice Day.

Festival of Remembrance and Field of Remembrance

The Royal British Legion's Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall was held on Saturday 7 November and broadcast on BBC One from 9pm. It brings together music, readings and tributes to the armed forces and is traditionally attended by members of the Royal Family.

In Westminster, the Field of Remembrance outside Westminster Abbey was opened with a ceremony on Thursday 5 November. Small crosses and tributes are planted in plots dedicated to regiments and organisations, and visitors can walk through the field in the days around Remembrance Sunday.

Royal attendance at the Cenotaph

The monarch traditionally leads the nation in laying the first wreath at the Cenotaph. In 2025, King Charles III led the service, accompanied by members of the Royal Family, political leaders and representatives of the Commonwealth. Final details of royal attendance for Remembrance Sunday 2026 are usually confirmed shortly before the day.

After the service, a member of the Royal Family takes the salute from veterans on Horse Guards Road as the march past concludes.

Remembrance Sunday 2026: questions and answers

What channel is the Cenotaph service on

BBC One from 10.15am to 12.40pm, Sky News from 10.30am to 12pm and GB News from 9.30am to 1pm. BBC Radio 4 broadcasts the service from 10.30am.

What time is the two-minute silence on Remembrance Sunday

At 11am on Sunday 8 November. A second silence is held at 11am on Armistice Day, Wednesday 11 November.

Can I stream the Cenotaph service online

Yes, the BBC One coverage streams live on BBC iPlayer. A TV licence is needed to watch.

Where is the national service in Wales

At the Welsh National War Memorial in Alexandra Gardens, Cardiff, with commemorations from 10.30am.

Is there a signed version of the coverage

Yes, a British Sign Language version of the BBC One coverage is available on the BBC Red Button.

Background: why Remembrance Sunday is held in November

The fighting of the First World War ended with the Armistice at 11am on 11 November 1918. The two-minute silence was first observed a year later, in 1919, and the Cenotaph designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens was unveiled in its permanent form in 1920. Remembrance Sunday, held on the second Sunday of November, allows the main national ceremony to take place at a weekend.

For more on the origins of the day, read our guide to Remembrance Day history and the poppy and our explainer on why 11 November is a special day of remembrance. Related coverage includes the Edith Cavell ceremony in Trafalgar Square.

Sources used: GOV.UK, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Royal British Legion, BBC, TV Radar, Cardiff Council, Welsh Government, Nation.Cymru, Belfast City Council, Edinburgh Evening News