How US Cities Commemorate the 25th Anniversary of September 11

New York City Ground Zero Ceremony and Memorial Traditions

In New York City, the heart of the national observances takes place at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum located at the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. The Memorial Plaza hosts an annual ceremony for victim families to read aloud the names of those killed. The observance includes seven moments of silence marking the times each tower was struck, when each tower fell, the Pentagon attack, the United Airlines Flight 93 crash, and the lives lost to 9/11 health effects. The museum also coordinates the annual “Tribute in Light” public art installation situated six blocks south of the World Trade Center site. The installation projects two vertical beams representing the Twin Towers four miles into the night sky from dusk until dawn. Additionally, the New York City Fire Department holds an annual “Walk of Remembrance” earlier in September to honor Father Mychal Judge, an FDNY chaplain who died while ministering to firefighters during the attacks.

Pentagon Memorial Affiliation and Arlington Services

In Arlington, Virginia, the Pentagon memorial site received official designation as an affiliated area of the National Park System. The Pentagon maintained its tradition of displaying an American flag from the building roof near the impact zone. President Donald Trump attended the annual ceremony at the Pentagon and delivered public remarks. Vice President JD Vance attended the New York City commemoration alongside four living former presidents: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden. Arlington County also hosted a separate observance at Fire Station 5. The event featured remarks from local elected officials, a wreath-laying, and a rose-laying ceremony attended by more than 200 first responders, many of whom responded directly on the day of the attacks.

Flight 93 National Memorial Observance in Shanksville

In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the site where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after passengers attempted to retake the cockpit, a two-hour morning observance was held at the memorial Wall of Names. The program ran from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. local time and featured a reading of the names of all passengers and crew members. The reading was followed by the ceremonial ringing of the Bells of Remembrance.

Nationwide Memorial Stair Climbs and Historic Tributes

Communities across the country organized physical tributes to honor fallen emergency personnel. Thousands of participants took part in annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs, walking or climbing the equivalent of the World Trade Center’s 110 stories to honor FDNY firefighters. According to reports from The Denver Gazette, the stair climb at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado, raised approximately $110,000 for the FDNY Counseling Services Unit and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, contributing to a nationwide total of about $1.4 million raised for first responders and their families. In Fall River, Massachusetts, Battleship Cove hosted a Rite of Reflection ceremony at the state official 9/11 Memorial with the historic warship USS Massachusetts serving as a backdrop. The Massachusetts ceremony featured a traditional 21-gun salute. The inscription at the Battleship Cove memorial states: None of us will ever forget where we were on September 11, 2001. The images of that day will haunt us forever. But the images of fire and smoke, of twisted metal and panic in the streets, are not the only ones we will remember. In California, Pepperdine University hosted its annual “Waves of Flags” display in Malibu, placing nearly 3,000 American flags in Alumni Park along the Pacific Coast Highway to represent each victim and foreign nation that lost a citizen. Meanwhile, the California 9/11 Memorial in Clovis held a morning ceremony featuring former FDNY firefighter Andy Isolano as a guest speaker, accompanied by tributes including wind chimes honoring the passengers of Flight 93.