What Remembrance Day is

Kept on 11 November, the anniversary of the 1918 Armistice that ended fighting on the Western Front at 11am. It is observed across the Commonwealth, and as Veterans Day in the United States and Armistice Day in France and Belgium.

A two-minute silence at 11am is the central act in Britain and the Commonwealth. Many countries also hold the main national ceremony on the nearest Sunday, so the ceremony and the date do not always coincide.

Why this date does not move

The countdown at the top of this page is live, and the date beneath it is the next occurrence. This is a fixed date: it falls on the same day of the month every year, so only the weekday changes.

The date follows a fixed calendar rule, so it can be computed years ahead. Where a country observes this as a public holiday, the official government calendar remains the authority for whether the day off is moved when it falls on a weekend.

What is coming up next

Once this date passes, the countdown moves on according to the recurrence rule described above. Calculated lunar dates remain estimates until the relevant calendar or local authority confirms them. See the full list of upcoming events, or use the countdown timer for a duration of your own.