The nation marks 25 years since the September 11, 2001, attacks Friday, with the primary commemoration unfolding on the Memorial plaza in lower Manhattan where family members will again read aloud the names of the 2,977 people killed that day and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
The ceremony opens at 8:30 a.m., with the first of seven moments of silence observed at 8:46 a.m. — the moment American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower. Subsequent silences will mark when the South Tower was hit and when each tower fell, the attack on the Pentagon, the crash of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and a silence honoring those who have died in the years since from illnesses tied to exposure at Ground Zero, many linked to the ongoing World Trade Center Health Program.
A quarter-century, and a divided itinerary
This year's 25th anniversary carries added weight for victims' families, who organizers say will lead an entirely in-person reading of the names for the milestone year; the lottery to select family readers closed August 2. Vice President JD Vance is set to attend the New York ceremony alongside former presidents, while President Trump — for the second consecutive year — will instead mark the day at the Pentagon, a change from the tradition of sitting and former presidents gathering at Ground Zero. Other administration officials are attending the ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville.
Beyond the official ceremonies, New York held a memorial Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Thursday, and the New York Philharmonic is scheduled to perform at the Perelman Performing Arts Center on the evening of the anniversary. Disney and its affiliated networks are airing a live broadcast of the "Tribute in Light" installation from lower Manhattan beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern, described by organizers as the first broadcast of its kind for the annual light display.
An anniversary shadowed by recent violence
Friday's observance also falls one year after the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, a killing that several speakers referenced this week at the Republican Party's first-ever midterm national convention in Dallas, where Vance headlined Thursday's program touting the administration's record ahead of November's elections. Officials at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum said the twin reflecting pools and the surrounding plaza remain the focal point for the day, as they have every September 11 since the memorial opened in 2011, even as the ceremony's format and attendance continue to evolve a generation after the attacks.
