9/11 Memorial & Museum Marks 19th Anniversary of the Attacks

A man braces an arm on the names parapet, alongside red flower tributes.
Photo by Ben Hider

Family members, survivors, first responders, and elected officials gathered on the 9/11 Memorial Friday to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Family members embraced one another and left tributes in honor of their loved ones on the Memorial plaza, which reopened to the public at 3 p.m. Out of an abundance of caution and in line with state and federal guidance regarding social distancing, recorded readings of the names made by 9/11 family members were broadcast during the ceremony.

Alongside family members, survivors, and first responders, Vice President Mike Pence, former Vice President Joe Biden, Governors Andrew M. Cuomo and Phil Murphy, New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the chairman of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, gathered on the plaza for the reading of the names and observed six moments of silence marking when each of the Twin Towers were struck, when they fell, when the Pentagon was attacked, and when Flight 93 crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 

As in years past, the Memorial plaza will be open until midnight for the annual viewing of Tribute in Light, which will illuminate the sky just south of the World Trade Center.

The 9/11 Memorial Museum, which has been closed for six months due to the COVID-19 health crisis, reopened exclusively for 9/11 family members on the 19th Anniversary. It will be open to the public again beginning Saturday, September 12. Learn more about the Museum's updated hours of operation, enhanced safety protocols, and modified Museum experience.

  • A color guard procession brings the American flag to the 9/11 Memorial plaza.
  • Elected officials wearing face masks walk toward the commemoration ceremony on the Memorial plaza.
  • Members of first responder agencies, wearing face masks, salute.
  • Flower tributes are left on the Memorial Glade.
  • Elected officials stand on Memorial plaza and salute while wearing face masks and social distancing.
  • Elected officials stand on the Memorial plaza in thoughtful contemplation.
  • A first responder in dress uniform stands over flower tributes placed on the memorial parapets.
  • Flower tributes and an American flag are left on the Memorial.
  • Flower tributes are left on the memorial.
  • Two family members stand in front of dozens of yellow roses placed in the names parapet.
  • A family member, wearing a mask, sits inside the newly reopened 9/11 Memorial Museum.
  • Flower tributes and an American flag are left on the memorial.
  • Long stemmed red roses are left on the memorial parapet.
  • A man in dress uniform and a woman embrace on the Memorial plaza.
  • A first responder in dress uniform stands looking a a remnant of the North Tower's antenna in the Museum.
  • A family embraces on the Memorial plaza.
  • Yellow flower tributes are left on the Memorial.
  • Mulitcolor flower tributes are left on the Memorial
  • A single white lily is left in the names parapet.
Photos by Jin S. Lee, Ben Hider, and Monika Graff

Please share your remembrances with the hashtag #Honor911. Watch a recording of the commemoration ceremony on our Facebook page.

Learn about how to talk to children about 9/11 and terrorism, or view our annual Anniversary in the Schools webinar, which introduces the events of the day through first-person accounts.

Donate today to sustain the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Your generosity now makes our mission possible, as we reopen our doors with a renewed sense of purpose.

Tune in to ABC television at 8 p.m. ET to view “9/11 Remembered: The Day We Came Together,” a special filmed during the 2014 dedication and opening of the 9/11 Memorial Museum. The program will feature former President Barack Obama, who opened the Museum, and former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, as well as survivors, family members, and first responders. The hour-long special will also feature performances from a 300-voice childrens’ choir, the New York Philharmonic, and explore the stories behind artifacts from the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

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A hand places a long-stemmed rose on the memorial parapet.

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