18 Places Around Vancouver to Pay Your Respects Before Remembrance Day

The guns of the First World War went silent at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918. Canada and other Commonwealth countries began setting aside a time of remembrance the next year, in 1919. This year, November 11 falls on a Wednesday.

You don’t have to wait for the day itself. Around Vancouver there are granite cenotaphs, a bronze angel, a drill hall with tanks out front, a Stanley Park lantern that was put out during the Second World War, regimental museums and a cemetery with thousands of veterans’ graves. This guide covers Downtown, Stanley Park, Kitsilano, the Shore, New West, Burnaby, Richmond and Cloverdale. Each entry includes the history, how to get there, and the 2026 ceremony details confirmed as of November 2. Where 2026 dates aren’t posted yet, the entry says so.

One other date falls before the 11th. Indigenous Veterans Day is November 8, a Sunday this year. It recognizes First Nations, Inuit and Métis veterans of the Canadian armed forces. Downtown, more than 700 veteran banners hang along the streets through October and November.

2026 ceremony times: confirmed vs. last posted (as of Nov 2, 2026)

Place	2026 status	Last posted times
UBC War Memorial Gym	Confirmed: Wed, Nov 11	Doors 10 a.m., ceremony 10:45 a.m. (2026)
Japanese Canadian War Memorial	Confirmed: Wed, Nov 11	Ceremony 10:30 a.m. (2026)
Cloverdale Cenotaph	Reported by local news	Service 10:25 a.m. (2026)
Victory Square Cenotaph	Not posted yet	Ceremony 10 a.m. (2025)
North Vancouver Cenotaph	Not posted yet	Parade 9:15 a.m., service 10:45 a.m. (2025)
New Westminster City Hall	Not posted yet	Parade assembly 10:15 a.m., service 10:25 a.m. (2025)
North and South Burnaby	Not posted yet	Parades 10 a.m. (2025)
Richmond City Hall	Reported by Richmond School District: Wed, Nov 11	Ceremonies 10:40 a.m. (2026)
Seaforth Armoury	Not posted yet	Public service held Nov 11 (2025)
Memorial South Park	Not posted yet	None found

18. The Armoury and Royal Westminster Regiment Museum (New Westminster)

The Armoury on Queens Avenue is built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Inside, the regiment’s museum occupies the original Gun Room. It holds photographs, medals, a memorial case for fallen soldiers and a diorama of the regiment’s Second World War motor battalion.

The museum officially opened on April 15, 1973. It was the first regimental museum in Canada to be recognized as an official military museum.

Current public hours aren’t confirmed. In 2023 the site was under renovation and open by appointment only, so contact the museum before you go. It’s a block from City Hall. In 2025 the New West Remembrance Day parade assembled at Queens Avenue and Sixth Street, near the Armoury, before the service at the City Hall cenotaph; 2026 details hadn’t been posted as of Nov. 2, so check the city’s site.

17. Beatty Street Drill Hall (Downtown Vancouver)

You’ll know it by the two castle-like turrets with battlements and the two tanks parked out front. The Duke of Cornwall and York, later King George V, opened the drill hall in 1901. During the First World War, troops prepared here for the trip overseas.

It is a class-A heritage building. It is also the oldest building in downtown Vancouver still used for its original purpose. Its unit, the British Columbia Regiment, formed in 1883 and is the oldest military unit in Vancouver.

You can see the exterior and tanks from the sidewalk at any time. Museum hours aren’t posted on the regiment’s site. Get off at Stadium station and the drill hall is across the road from the exit. This is an active armoury, so take photos from the sidewalk and stay off the tanks.

16. Seaforth Armoury and Seaforth Highlanders Museum (Kitsilano)

The armoury went up in 1936 on unused land at the end of the Burrard Bridge, which had opened in 1932. The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Museum and Archives are inside. The collection covers both world wars, Afghanistan and the operations in between.

Displays are spread around the parade square, through several hallways and up in the third-floor Messes and Anderson Room. You can visit by appointment only. Book through the museum’s visit page. A cost isn’t posted.

The regiment held a public Remembrance Day service at the armoury on November 11, 2025. As of November 2, no 2026 notice had been posted. Watch the regiment’s news page for 2026 details.

15. Air Force Garden of Remembrance (Stanley Park)

Just past the Stanley Park Pavilion is a garden of rockeries on a small knoll. The Women’s Auxiliary to the Air Services dedicated it on May 9, 1948 as a living memorial. Its plaques carry the insignia of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force.

It’s both a shade garden and a rock garden. Flowers and shrubs grow around a small stream and pond, with flagstone steps and a path. Coins tossed into the wishing well are collected by the Women’s Auxiliary and given to local military hospitals for veterans’ comforts. The garden has hosted the annual Battle of Britain Memorial Ceremony since 1949.

Look for it just west of the transit bus loop and just north of the Pavilion. One thing to know first: on January 28, 2019, the Park Board approved a plan to relocate the garden to Queen Elizabeth Park. Whether it has moved could not be confirmed, so check before you make the trip.

14. Bessborough Armoury and 15th Field Artillery Regiment Museum (Kitsilano)

The Bessborough Armoury was built in 1932 for the 15th Field Brigade, Canadian Artillery, and the British Columbia Hussars. In the Second World War the unit served as 15 Coast Artillery. Its job was defending Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, with gun positions at Point Grey and at Ferguson Point in Stanley Park.

The museum collects photographs, documents and artifacts about the artillery and its role in the life and defence of the city. It’s a good stop if you’ve walked the seawall past Ferguson Point and never thought about why guns were there.

The museum is open most Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon. November 11 is a Wednesday this year, but don’t assume regular hours on the holiday. At the 2025 Victory Square ceremony, this regiment fired the 21 gun salute from Hallelujah Point. If you heard the guns, a visit here puts the sound in context.

13. Chinese Canadian Military Museum (Chinatown)

The museum says it is the only one in Canada dedicated to the history of Chinese Canadians in Canada’s Armed Forces. It sits on the second floor of a Ming Dynasty-style building in the Vancouver Chinese Cultural Centre complex.

Inside, glass cases and wall displays hold photographs, documents and artifacts. They follow Chinese Canadian soldiers through both world wars and later conflicts. These are stories that rarely show up in the larger museums.

The museum’s page lists hours of generally Tuesday to Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. That page appears to be several years old, so call or email before you go. Entry is by donation. Stadium-Chinatown is the nearest SkyTrain station.

12. Cloverdale Cenotaph, Veterans Square (Cloverdale, Surrey)

Surrey’s largest Remembrance Day ceremony happens at Veterans Square in Cloverdale, by the Museum of Surrey. The Royal Canadian Legion Cloverdale Branch presents it. In 2025 the city livestreamed it on the City of Surrey Facebook page.

Local news reports the 2026 service at the Cloverdale Cenotaph begins at 10:25 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, after a procession that starts at 10 a.m. The city’s own 2026 page hadn’t been found as of November 2. There will be three stands of bleachers this year. After the ceremony, several hundred marchers parade from Veterans Square to the Cloverdale Legion.

The public is invited back to the Legion after the ceremony, and you don’t need to be a member. The Legion is also selling commemorative wreaths for the ceremony. Arrive early to find parking, or bike or take transit (City of Surrey).

11. Richmond City Hall Cenotaph (Richmond)

Richmond’s cenotaph stands on the east side of City Hall. It honours Canadian service personnel who died serving the country.

After the 2025 service, the public was invited inside City Hall for hot drinks. The Richmond Museum and City of Richmond Archives set up Remembrance displays. On a cold November morning, that’s a welcome way to finish.

As of November 2, a Richmond School District notice says the in-person ceremony is on Wednesday, November 11, with official ceremonies at 10:40 a.m. and two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. The city’s own Remembrance Day page still shows 2025, when the parade began at 10:20 a.m. The service has been recorded and streamed live for people who can’t attend. City Hall is on No. 3 Road beside the Canada Line, so take the train.

10. North and South Burnaby Cenotaphs (Confederation Park and Bonsor Park, Burnaby)

The North Burnaby Cenotaph stands at the north end of Confederation Park. It’s an obelisk on a solid rectangular base. Plaques honour those lost in the First World War, the Second World War and Korea.

A First World War veteran and stonemason built it in 1953. North Burnaby Legion Post #148 erected it. It is one of four memorials to Burnaby citizens who died in war. The south Burnaby service is held at the cenotaph in Bonsor Park, at Nelson and Imperial.

The City of Burnaby hadn’t posted 2026 details as of November 2. In 2025 both parades started at 10 a.m.: one from McGill Library to the north cenotaph, the other from Fire Hall 3 to Bonsor Park (2025 city notice). Confederation Park is at Willingdon Avenue and Penzance Drive. Bonsor Park is a short walk from Metrotown, so SkyTrain is the easy way in.

9. New Westminster City Hall Cenotaph (New Westminster)

This cenotaph in Memorial Plaza honours members of the Armed Services and Merchant Navy who died in the service of Canada. A bronze statue of a soldier stands on top.

It has moved twice. It was unveiled in 1922 near the corner of McBride Boulevard and Columbia Street. Later it went near the entrance to the Pattullo Bridge. It came to its current spot when this City Hall was built.

The city hadn’t posted a 2026 event page as of November 2. The 2025 schedule ran like this: wreath pick-up at 9 a.m. on the City Hall front lawn, parade assembly at Queen’s Avenue and Sixth Street at 10:15 a.m., and the outdoor service at 10:25 a.m. Last year’s ceremony was livestreamed on YouTube, and a sign language interpreter was there.

City Hall is on Royal Avenue, uphill from downtown New West. Parking is limited, so take transit.

8. North Vancouver Cenotaph, Victoria Park (City of North Vancouver)

The cenotaph was built in 1923 for the people of the City and District of North Vancouver who died in the First World War. Architects Blackadder and MacKay designed it. It was later rededicated to also honour those who died in the Boer War and the Second World War.

Victoria Park holds three structures from three eras. There’s a 1915 horse trough, the 1923 cenotaph and a Cold War air raid siren. Together they tell a short history of the Shore in one block.

As of November 2, no 2026 details had been posted by the city or the North Shore Veterans’ Council. In 2025 the parade left the Armoury on Forbes Avenue at 9:15 a.m. and the service began at 10:45 a.m. Roads were fully closed from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. along West 15th Street, East 14th Street, Lonsdale Avenue and the 100 block of East Keith Road. Expect something similar this year. Take the SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay and walk up Lonsdale.

7. Memorial South Park and Cenotaph (South Vancouver)

The whole park is a memorial. South Vancouver’s municipal engineer, E. Dundas Todd, designed it for soldiers who died in the First World War. It officially opened on May 22, 1926.

South Vancouver was its own municipality then. After three municipalities merged into the City of Vancouver in 1929, the park was renamed Memorial South Park. The cenotaph was erected on the same day the park opened, May 22, 1926, at South Vancouver Municipal Hall. Ceremonies are now listed at the Memorial South Park Cenotaph, 41st Avenue and Windsor Street.

The park is open year-round. 2026 ceremony details aren’t posted yet. It’s a short drive from Mountain View Cemetery, so the two make a sensible pair for one trip.

6. Burrard Bridge Memorial Braziers (Downtown and Kitsilano)

Four brazier lights flank the entrances to the Burrard Bridge. Most people cross without knowing they’re a war memorial. They went in with the bridge in 1932 to honour those who served in the First World War.

Bridge engineer Major J.R. Grant and architect G.L.T. Sharp, both veterans, designed them. The shape recalls the braziers soldiers huddled around for warmth in the First World War. The lighting inside was restored with LEDs in 2017, and a relighting ceremony followed on January 23, 2018. A bronze plaque recognizing all Canadians who served in wars and peacekeeping missions was installed on the bridge at the same time.

The braziers are lit, so go at dusk to see them glow. Walk or cycle the bridge sidewalks. The Seaforth Armoury sits at the south end, so you can take in both on one walk.

5. Mountain View Cemetery Fields of Honour (Riley Park, Vancouver)

Vancouver’s cemetery has four Fields of Honour for veterans of Canada, other Commonwealth countries and allied forces. More than 12,000 veterans are buried here. The 319 First World War burials lie together in a special Soldiers’ Plot.

The graves tell local stories. Most of the airmen buried here died while serving at the RCAF base on Sea Island. The sailors include men from the naval reserve training establishment HMCS Discovery. Near the flagpole, upright monuments commemorate veterans whose graves were still unmarked in 2006. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission page has the details on the war graves it maintains here.

Pedestrians can enter at any time. Vehicle gates are open daily from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and locked outside those hours (see ‘location and hours’ on the city cemetery page). There are no lights after dark except near the office, so go in daylight. No 2026 Remembrance event was found.

The city also cares for a temporary memorial near Fraser Street and East 41st Avenue for those lost in the April 26, 2025, Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy. Other visitors may be grieving, so keep your voice down and give people space.

4. Japanese Canadian War Memorial (Stanley Park)

The Canadian Japanese Association commissioned this memorial in 1920 for Japanese Canadians who served in the First World War. It remembers the 54 Japanese Canadian soldiers who died in that war. A classical column of carved Haddington limestone rises to a Shinto pagoda form at the top. The granite base carries the names of battles fought.

Its lantern was put out in 1941, after Japan entered the Second World War. It stayed dark until August 2, 1985, when it was relit and rededicated with a City of Vancouver grant and Park Board support. Organizers say a three-year restoration of the cenotaph is now complete. A new plaque honouring First World War Japanese Canadian soldiers and their fight to win the vote was unveiled here on July 24, 2026.

The 2026 ceremony is on Wednesday, November 11. It’s a hybrid event, in person and virtual, open to everyone, and no registration is required. It starts at 10:30 a.m., and the organizer suggests arriving a few minutes early to find a spot near the memorial. It will also be live-streamed on the NNMCC YouTube channel. Light refreshments and a chamber opera presentation follow at the Stanley Park Pavilion.

The memorial is near the Vancouver Aquarium. Take the bus to the Stanley Park bus loop, or drive and use paid parking in the park. The Air Force Garden of Remembrance is within walking distance.

3. Angel of Victory (Waterfront Station, Downtown Vancouver)

Outside Waterfront Station, a bronze angel carries a fallen soldier up toward heaven. Montreal artist Coeur de Lion MacCarthy made it. It was unveiled on April 28, 1922.

The Canadian Pacific Railway commissioned three identical statues to honour more than 1,100 CPR employees who died in the First World War. Each went up near a CPR landmark. The other two are in Winnipeg and Montreal, and all three were unveiled on the same day. The dates of the Second World War were later added to each statue’s base.

The statue is outdoors and you can see it at any time. SkyTrain, SeaBus and West Coast Express all stop at Waterfront, so it makes an easy first stop. From here, Victory Square is a short walk.

2. UBC War Memorial Gym (Point Grey)

UBC has held a November 11 ceremony here every year since the gym opened in 1951. Its memorial walls have since been updated to reflect UBC’s involvement with Canada’s military. This year marks the gym’s 75th anniversary.

The 2026 UBC ceremony is on Wednesday, November 11. Doors open at 10 a.m. and the ceremony begins at 10:45 a.m. It’s indoors, which makes it the best choice if the forecast is pouring rain. The university itself is closed for Remembrance Day.

Take the bus to UBC Exchange, or drive. Parking in the North Parkade is complimentary for ceremony guests on November 11. Reserved seating is available for veterans; email ceremonies.rsvp@ubc.ca to arrange it.

1. Victory Square Cenotaph (Downtown Vancouver)

The cenotaph is Nelson Island granite, paid for by public subscription. It was unveiled in 1924 before roughly 25,000 people. Walk around it and you’ll find three sides, not four. One faces Hastings and the others face Pender and Hamilton. Major G.L. Thornton Sharp designed it that way to fit the park’s triangle.

The ground mattered before the stone went up. Vancouver’s first courthouse stood here. The square sits where the Granville townsite, now Gastown, met the CPR townsite. During the war it was a recruiting ground. The lamp standards shaped like First World War helmets were added around the cenotaph and through the square in 2002.

A Remembrance Day ceremony has been held here every year since 1924. It is the longest continuously running ceremony in Vancouver. The city says more than 15,000 people attend each year. The City of Vancouver hadn’t posted its 2026 program as of November 2. Last year’s ceremony started at 10 a.m. (2025 city program). On November 8, the square also hosts a National Indigenous Veterans Day Ceremony for First Nation, Métis and Inuit soldiers and veterans. No 2026 program for that ceremony had been found either.

For a calmer visit, come in the days before the 11th, when the Legion’s veteran banners are up on nearby streets. On the day itself, take transit. Traffic around the square was closed for the event in 2025, and Waterfront Station is a short walk away.

Military museums you can visit: hours as posted

Museum	Hours	Cost
15th Field Artillery Regiment Museum (Bessborough Armoury)	Most Wednesdays 10:00–12:00	Not posted
Chinese Canadian Military Museum	Generally Tue–Sun 10:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.	By donation
Seaforth Highlanders Museum (Seaforth Armoury)	By appointment only	Not posted
Royal Westminster Regiment Museum	Unconfirmed (appointment only as of 2023)	Not posted
BC Regiment Museum (Beatty St Drill Hall)	Not posted officially	Not posted

When to go

• For a calm visit, go in the days before November 11. The 700-plus veteran banners are up downtown through October and November.
• Indigenous Veterans Day is Sunday, November 8. A National Indigenous Veterans Day Ceremony is held at Victory Square on that date, but a 2026 program hadn’t been found.
• The two minutes of silence is at 11 a.m. on November 11. Most ceremonies start between 10 and 10:45 a.m.
• Several cities will likely post 2026 details late. Check each city’s site the week of November 9.

Getting there on November 11

• Expect road closures around every major cenotaph. In 2025, traffic around Victory Square was closed, and North Vancouver closed roads from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Downtown, take SkyTrain to Waterfront for Victory Square or to Stadium-Chinatown for Chinatown.
• For the Shore, the SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay puts you a short walk from Victoria Park.
• New Westminster parking is limited, and Cloverdale fills up, so take transit or arrive early.
• UBC is closed on Wednesday, November 11. The North Parkade is complimentary for ceremony guests.
• Stanley Park parking is paid.

What to bring

• Rain gear and warm layers. Most ceremonies are outdoors and run at least an hour. UBC’s is the indoor option.
• A poppy, worn on the left side of your chest, over the heart.
• If you’re laying a wreath, pick it up early. In New Westminster in 2025, wreath pick-up started at 9 a.m. on the City Hall front lawn. The Cloverdale Legion is selling commemorative wreaths for the Veterans Square ceremony.

Etiquette and safety

• In the lead-up to November 11, people donate to charities and legions.
• If you can’t get to a ceremony, stop wherever you are at 11 a.m. for the silence.
• Treat armouries as active military buildings. Photograph from public sidewalks, don’t climb on the tanks at Beatty Street, and visit museums only during posted hours or by appointment.
• Mountain View Cemetery locks its vehicle gates outside 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily. Go in daylight and dress for wet ground.

Visiting Mountain View Cemetery respectfully

The city cares for a temporary memorial near Fraser Street and East 41st Avenue for those lost in the April 26, 2025, Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy. Other visitors may be grieving. Keep your visit quiet and your camera down near that memorial.

If you can’t be there in person

• The Japanese Canadian War Memorial ceremony is a hybrid event with a virtual option.
• The City of Surrey livestreamed the 2025 Cloverdale ceremony on its Facebook page; check whether it will do the same in 2026.

Most of these places are open every day of the year, and the stories don’t change on November 12. Visit one in the days before, stand at another on the 11th, or stop wherever you are at 11 a.m. Several 2026 schedules are still to come, so check the city and organizer pages the week of November 9 before you head out.

Get the weekend plan in your inbox. Burrard Bulletin is a free email on what’s actually on from Vancouver to Whistler. Sign up here.

Photo credits

• We Remember – Vancouver Remembrance Day 2010.jpg by Roland Tanglao from Vancouver, Canada, CC BY 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• HMCS Algonquin docked at Canada Place, Vancouver.jpg by Pan Pacific, CC BY 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• VFRS Band, Remembrance Day 2020.jpg by Cbpcb06, CC BY-SA 4.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• 2011-07-17 Vancouver 06.JPG by Gareth Wyn Jones, CC BY-SA 4.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Angel of Victory (3942723415).jpg by BriYYZ from Toronto, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Vancouver Chinatown 12.JPG by Xicotencatl, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• BeattyStDrillHallII.jpg by Bobanny, Public domain (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Japanese War Memorial Stanley Park.jpg by fujitariuji, CC BY 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Stanley Park Pavilion 01.jpg by Torecles, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Vancouver – False Creek pano 02.jpg by Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Seaforth Armoury.jpg by Bobanny, Public domain (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Bessborough Academy.JPG by Socratic, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Mountain View Cemetery, foggy (2).jpg by Colin Knowles, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• The pond and boardwalk at South Memorial Park (49989235533).jpg by Rod Raglin from Vancouver, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• UBCWarMemorialGym.JPG by Gaijin Ninja, CC0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• North Vancouver cenotaph – fall 2013 01.JPG by Shaundd, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• New Westminster City Hall (33537293245).jpg by Jeff Hitchcock from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• North facing view.jpg by Westmr, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• CP 1920 miniature train at Burnaby Central Railway, 13 October 2013.jpg by Mike W., CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Richmond City Centre – panoramio.jpg by blakew300, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• City of Surrey Cenotaph 2009.jpg by Leoboudv, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.