Standing in Centenary Square on the Eleventh of November
You arrive early, and the square is already filling. Coats are buttoned against the November air; standard bearers steady their colours near the Hall of Memory, the war memorial at the heart of Centenary Square. Form-up begins at 10:30. The service itself starts at 10:55, which gives you five minutes of quiet before the hour turns. At 11:00 the city stops: the two-minute silence, held at the Hall of Memory, Birmingham B1 2HF, with the annual Armistice Day service and parade. You do not need a ticket or an invitation. You need to be there, still, and on time.
Marching with the City on Remembrance Sunday
Two days earlier, on Sunday 8 November, the city holds its Remembrance Sunday parade and service. Veterans and standard bearers form up at 10:10 on Colmore Row near Eden Place, off Victoria Square (B3 3SJ). They step off at 10:40, marching to Cathedral Square, Colmore Row B3 2QB, for the annual service. Position yourself along the route before the march begins and you will see the standards carried past at walking pace, the cadets and serving personnel in step, and the public lining the pavement. If you want to join the act of remembrance rather than watch it, arrive at the form-up point early and follow the marshals' directions.
Begin the Week with a Concert of Remembrance
The commemorations in Birmingham stretch beyond the eleventh. On Saturday 31 October, the Concert of Remembrance begins at 7:30pm at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall, Upper Clifton Road, Sutton Coldfield B73 6DA. Tickets are £5, with veterans attending with a companion admitted free, and the funds go to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. Tickets become available from early September, so plan your booking in the late summer rather than the last week of October. The dress is smart, with medals and decorations worn. For details, call 07570177937. It is a composed, formal evening — and a fitting way to open the remembrance season.
School Grounds, Church Grounds and the Tree of Life
Some of the most affecting moments happen away from the city centre. On Monday 9 November, Swanshurst School on Brook Lane, Birmingham B13 0TW, holds its act of remembrance at 11:00 on the grass, with the two-minute silence, followed at 11:05 by refreshments and entertainment; arrival is from 09:30 and the morning winds up around noon. Earlier in the autumn, on Saturday 10 October, the Birmingham Air Raids Remembrance Association holds its annual service at 10:30 for 11:00 at St Martin in the Bull Ring, Edgbaston Street, Birmingham B5 5BB, with wreath-laying at the "Tree of Life" memorial — erected in 2005 and now standing in St Martin's church grounds. And on Saturday 31 October, a new war memorial is blessed and dedicated at Weoley Castle Square, with a parade and service forming up at 11:30 for 12:00. Each of these is open to the public, and each asks only that you arrive a little before the silence.
What Else the Birmingham Calendar Holds
Remembrance in Birmingham is a year-round rhythm, and if you are in the city for the eleventh of November you may find other dates worth building a visit around.
- Holocaust Memorial Day — Sunday 25 January, a service at the Garden of Remembrance, High Street, West Bromwich B70 8RJ. Form-up 10:30 for 11:00.
- Birmingham International Tattoo — Saturday 14 to Sunday 15 February at the NEC, bp pulse Live arena.
- VE Day anniversary — Friday 8 May, a service and act of remembrance at the Hall of Memory, Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2HF. Form-up 09:30 for 10:00.
- Armed Forces Day — held annually in late June. In 2026 it falls on Saturday 27 June in Sandwell, forming up at 10:30 on Freeth Street B69 3DB before a march of about 150 yards to the war memorial for an 11:00 act of remembrance; and in Wolverhampton from 12:00 to 4:30pm at West Park, 76 Park Road, Wolverhampton WV1 4PH, free to enter, with a funfair, food stalls, bars, a military parade, inspection and salute, and live entertainment. Himley Armed Forces Day follows on Sunday 28 June at Himley Hall & Park, 11am–4pm, free, with vintage military vehicles, fairground rides, Punch and Judy and a Beating Retreat.
- Merchant Navy Day — Thursday 3 September, flag raising at the Council House, Victoria Square, Birmingham B1 1BB. Form-up 10:30 for 11:00.
Note that Armed Forces Day is not a public holiday in the UK; it was renamed from Veterans' Day in 2009, having first been observed in 2006. For the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, which hosts ANZAC Day on 25 April, D-Day commemorations on 6 June and Operation Market Garden on 17 September, check thenma.org.uk/events before you travel.
Getting Your Bearings
The civic events cluster tightly. Centenary Square, Victoria Square and Cathedral Square are all within a short walk of one another in the city centre, which means you can attend the Armistice Day service at the Hall of Memory and still reach the Remembrance Sunday route on Colmore Row on foot. Swanshurst School sits out at B13, St Martin in the Bull Ring at B5, and the FBESA gatherings at the Cobden Hotel, 166 Hagley Road, Edgbaston B16 9NZ. Many events ask participants to form up twenty to thirty minutes before the service begins, so build that margin into your morning. The Federation of Birmingham Ex-Service Associations organises the city's programme, and most events welcome veterans, standard bearers, serving personnel, cadets and the public alike.
Book the Concert of Remembrance when tickets open in early September, put the eighth and eleventh of November in your diary now, and give yourself the walk between the Hall of Memory and Colmore Row. Birmingham holds these two minutes with a seriousness that is worth travelling for — and the city makes it easy to stand among the people who keep the appointment every year.