Armistice Day 2026

What is Armistice Day?

Armistice Day commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies and Germany in a railway carriage in the forest of Compiègne in France, which took effect at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918, the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The date marks the end of the fighting on the Western Front, even though peace treaties were signed later, in 1919 and 1920. It is a day for remembering those who died in the war. The date is shared by several holidays across the world, but the meaning differs by country.

In France and Belgium, the day is a public holiday with ceremonies at war memorials, wreath-laying and a minute of silence, and in France the president lays a wreath at the Arc de Triomphe. Serbia also marks 11 November, as a day of remembrance of the First World War. Other countries use the date for similar events under different names, such as Remembrance Day in Canada and the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States. The 11 November date is also Poland's Independence Day, which marks the restoration of Polish independence in 1918.

Why it is observed

The first Armistice Day ceremonies took place in 1919, and the day soon became a national holiday in France, where it was established by law in 1922, and in Belgium. In Britain and the Commonwealth, the two-minute silence at 11 a.m. was introduced in 1919. After the Second World War, the commemoration in many countries was widened to cover all wars and, in some countries, was renamed. France keeps a particular focus on the First World War, and in 2018 the centenary was marked with large ceremonies in Paris. This remained a central date of remembrance.

How the date is set

Armistice Day is fixed on 11 November, the anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting of the First World War on the Western Front in 1918.

How it is observed

In France and Belgium, 11 November is a public holiday, and banks, offices, schools and most shops close, though the main ceremonies take place in the morning at war memorials. In Serbia, the date is marked as a day of remembrance of the First World War. Transport runs a holiday timetable. Where the date falls on a weekend, most countries do not move it. Check the country's current rules. Pay and time off depend on national law and the contract. Check the country page for details. Always confirm locally. Local rules apply.