The United States is marking the 25th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on Friday with memorials and remembrance ceremonies honoring the nearly 3,000 people killed.
In New York City, families of victims will gather at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza for the annual commemoration, while ceremonies are also planned at the Pentagon in Virginia, the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania and in communities across the country.
What will happen in New York City
The ceremony at the national September 11 Memorial and Museum will include families reading aloud the names of those killed in the 2001 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Seven moments of silence will mark the strikes and collapses of the towers, the attack on the Pentagon, the crash of Flight 93 and people who later died from 9/11-related illness and injury. Read the context: UN says Kenscoff attack killed 47 and displaced families fear more violence.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other current and former political figures are expected to attend. Former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton, along with Jill Biden and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, are also expected, according to reporting cited in the factual material. Donald Trump is expected to commemorate the anniversary at the Pentagon, while JD Vance is expected at the New York ceremony.
Timeline
- The New York City commemoration begins at 8:30am local time.
- A New York Harbor drone display on Wednesday used 2,977 lights and formed the outline of the twin towers.
- The Pentagon memorial will be closed to the public from 3am until noon on Friday, except for victims’ families, survivors and survivors’ families.
- A second Flight 93 memorial ceremony is scheduled for Saturday.
Memorials in Virginia and Pennsylvania
The Pentagon observance will take place at the national 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Virginia. The site’s public closure during the ceremony does not apply to victims’ families, survivors or survivors’ families.
At the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, the morning observance will include the reading of passengers’ and crew members’ names followed by the ringing of the bells of remembrance. An afternoon program will include remarks, keynote speakers, music and a public wreath-laying at the Wall of Names.
Other remembrance events
New York City firefighters are scheduled to hold a Friday morning ceremony at the FDNY firefighters memorial on Manhattan’s Upper West Side to honor the 343 department members who died on 11 September. Related coverage: Mark Carney sets September 8 start for Canada’s US tariff response.
The commemorations follow the release by the Mamdani administration of more than 170,000 documents concerning health concerns, air quality and the city’s response to the attacks. The records include material suggesting that New Yorkers were misled about air quality after the attacks.
What happens next
On Saturday, 40 candle lanterns will be carried to the Wall of Names at the Flight 93 National Memorial and placed beneath the names of each passenger and crew member.
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