White flowers at the names of victims on the Memorial

September 11, 2001 Commemoration

Each year on the anniversary of 9/11, the families of victims gather for a ceremony on the 9/11 Memorial plaza to read aloud the names of the 2,983 men, women, and children killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks and February 26, 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Six moments of silence mark the times when each of the World Trade Center towers was struck, when each tower fell, and the times corresponding to the attack at the Pentagon, and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.

Remember the Sky

Tiles in different shades of blue from Museum installation

On September 11, join the 9/11 Memorial & Museum from wherever you are across the country to take part in active remembrance and recognize how we are all connected to one another underneath the same big sky. That day, post a picture of the sky – no matter the weather – and post it to Instagram with #NeverForget911 and @911memorial.

Learn more

Anniversary in the Schools Program

Students sit in a row as they look forward and listen to a speaker who is out of view in the Museum auditorium.
Photo by Jin S. Lee

Offered every year on and around the 9/11 anniversary, this interactive program connects participants with 9/11 Memorial Museum staff and guest speakers who share personal stories about the attacks and explore the importance of commemoration. 

Learn more

Tribute in Light

Water cascades down the illuminated walls of the North Tower reflecting pool on a warm night. The water pours down a square hole at the center of the pool. In the distance, a moon hangs over the city and the Tribute in Light shines above the buildings.
Photo by Jin S. Lee

Each year in commemoration of 9/11, the twin beams of Tribute in Light shine, recalling the Twin Towers and honoring those killed.

Learn more

Plan Your Own 9/11 Anniversary Observance

A bunch of sunflowers rest on the 9/11 Memorial, which is cast in a shimmery yellow and blue light. Two American flags rest alongside it.
Photo by Jin S. Lee

Here are some elements to consider when planning your 9/11 anniversary observance. 

Learn more

Memorial Exhibition: In Memoriam

A woman visits the In Memoriam exhibition. On the wall in front of her and to her right are 2,983 portrait photographs of the victims.
Photo by Dan Winters

The memorial exhibition honors the 2,977 individuals killed as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, at this site as well as at the Pentagon and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It also honors the six individuals killed in the terrorist bombing of the World Trade Center on February 26, 1993.

Learn more

World Trade Center History

A woman in silhouette leans against a lamppost on a curved boardwalk, facing the view of lower Manhattan in the background. The Twin Towers, at the center of the skyline, rise into the cloudy sky.

The lower Manhattan skyline seen from Jersey City, New Jersey, 1998. Collection 9/11 Memorial Museum, Gift of George Forss.

This online collection of stories explores the symbolism of the World Trade Center and why it became a target on 9/11. These stories provide those who never saw these landmark structures in lower Manhattan with a sense of what they were and what they meant for New York.

Learn more

September 11 Attack Timeline

Dozens of people approach after walking across the Brooklyn Bridge on September Eleventh. They have dust and soot from the World Trade Center in their hair. Behind them, hundreds more people cross the bridge. In the distance is the skyline of lower Manhattan, with a cloud of smoke hovering over downtown.

Collection 9/11 Museum, Roberto Rabanne Archive. Photo by Roberto Rabanne.

Understanding the events of the day is essential to commemoration. This interactive timeline uses images, audio, and video, as well as first-person accounts from the 9/11 Memorial Museum’s permanent collection, to chronicle the events of September 11, 2001.

Learn more

Lesson Plans

Explore a host of inquiry-based lesson plans for K to 12 students and their teachers.

Learn more

Resources

A blue, steel river water valve sits on a concrete floor. Screws line the border of the circular valve. It is in the open position, allowing the viewer to see through to the concrete wall behind it.

Access Museum resources including interactive timelines, oral histories, digital exhibitions, and 9/11 primary sources to learn more about the February 26, 1993 World Trade Center bombing, 9/11 and its aftermath.

Learn more