Wreaths Out 2026

Official news release

Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) and Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery (SAHNC) in Washington, D.C. will hold their annual removal of wreaths, known as Wreaths Out, on Saturday, Jan. 10, beginning at 8 a.m. 

•  Thousands of visitors are expected to help remove approximately 265,000 wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery and approximately 14,000 at SAHNC. The high volume of visitors at ANC may create traffic congestion and delays on nearby streets and at the cemetery’s entrances. Our top priority is the safety and security of our visitors and employees during this event.

•  Visitors should anticipate large crowds and difficulty driving vehicles in the vicinity of Arlington National Cemetery due to road closures.

•  Visitors are encouraged to use all four entrances to access the cemetery: the Memorial Avenue Welcome Center, the Ord and Weitzel pedestrian-only gate, the Service Complex pedestrian-only gate and the Old Post Chapel gate for DoD ID cardholders.  

•  Vehicular access to cemetery grounds will not be permitted until normal operations resume. The Welcome Center parking garage will open to the public at 8 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. Since we cannot predict when we will return to normal operations, there will be no visitor tram or gravesite shuttle service on Saturday.

• We recommend that visitors use public transportation or a ride share service for travel to and from the cemetery. The drop-off location for ride share services is adjacent to the Arlington Cemetery Metro Stop on Memorial Avenue.

•  All visitors must pass through security screening before entering the cemetery. Prohibited items include: firearms and weapons of any type, laser pointers, aerosol containers, soda cans, coolers, picnic baskets, tripods, screwdrivers (or similar tools), air horns and personal protection sprays. Clear plastic water bottles are permitted.

•  To aid in the removal of multiple wreaths, the public is permitted to bring in PVC pipe, rope and broomsticks. No sharp metal objects are permitted.


►  New this year! Sign up for text message alerts by texting "Wreaths" to 844-794-5578. We also encourage you to follow us on social media @ArlingtonNatl and download our ANC explorer mobile app