Veterans Day falls on Wednesday this year, and most of the towns in our coverage area will mark it the traditional way, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Town and city offices, schools and libraries are closed, and curbside trash and recycling run a day behind for the rest of the week. Here is what the towns have posted as of Monday morning, with times, places and the details that matter if you plan to go.
Salem: a Distinguished Service Cross from Attu
Salem’s ceremony begins at 11 a.m. in the Salem High School auditorium, 77 Willson Road. The city will honor Captain Walter C. O’Neil, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army’s second-highest decoration after the Medal of Honor. According to the city’s notice, the medal was awarded to O’Neil, then a lieutenant, for extraordinary heroism in action against Japanese forces on the Aleutian island of Attu. “Come and hear his story,” the notice says. Veterans, their families and friends are invited to a collation immediately after the ceremony at VFW Post 1524, 95 Derby Street. City offices are closed for the day.
Danvers: bagpipes, Taps and a gun salute at the high school
The Danvers Veterans Council and the town’s Veterans Services Department hold their annual ceremony at 11 a.m. in the Danvers High School auditorium, 60 Cabot Road. The program includes remarks from Sergeant Kevin T. Berich, musical performances, a color guard, bagpipes, Taps and a gun salute. It is free and open to the public. Town offices are closed.
Swampscott: breakfast at 9, ceremony at 11 on Monument Avenue
Swampscott starts early. The Senior Center hosts a breakfast for veterans at 9 a.m.; call 781-596-8866 for details. The town ceremony follows at 11 a.m. on Monument Avenue, in front of Town Hall, “to recognize and honor those from Swampscott who have served our Nation,” the town’s notice says. Questions go to Lynn and Swampscott Veterans Services at 781-586-6911. Town offices are closed.
Winthrop and Wilmington: 11 a.m. on the green
Winthrop’s ceremony is at 11 a.m. on the Town Hall Green at Metcalf Square. Wilmington’s is at 11 a.m. on the Town Common, according to the dates listed on the Select Board’s agenda for Monday night; Wilmington town offices are closed Wednesday and the town has also scheduled brush drop-off at Old Main Street on Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cambridge: ceremony and luncheon at the Sheraton Commander
The Cambridge Department of Veterans Services holds its observance from 11 a.m. to noon at the Sheraton Commander Hotel, 16 Garden Street. Doors open at 10 a.m. with coffee and appetizers, and an informal luncheon follows from noon to 3 p.m. in the hotel’s Liberty Revolution Ballroom. The city asks guests to register in advance for the luncheon, by email to the Veterans Services department or by leaving a message at 617-349-4760.
Cambridge offices, libraries and senior centers are closed. Parking meters and pay stations are free for the day. The Cambridge Cemetery office at 76 Coolidge Avenue is closed, but the gates are open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Curbside collection of trash, recycling, food scraps and yard waste is suspended Wednesday and runs one day behind for the rest of the week. Street cleaning that would have fallen on the second Tuesday of the month was done in advance.
Somerville: an afternoon ceremony at Milk Row Cemetery
Somerville breaks from the 11 a.m. pattern. The city and the Somerville Museum host the 2026 Veterans Day Remembrance Ceremony from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Milk Row Cemetery, 439 Somerville Avenue, next to the Market Basket. The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, His Majesty’s 10th Regiment of Foot and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry reenactors will take part along with Mayor Jake Wilson, city councilors and the Office of Veterans’ Services. The ceremony is held at the 1863 Civil War Monument and at the grave of an unknown British soldier buried there. The program is brief, the site is accessible and seating is provided. An online RSVP through the museum is requested but not required. GovTV will record it for later viewing.
The Office of Veterans Services will also lay wreaths at City Hall and North Street Cemetery and supply wreaths to George Dilboy Post 529 of the VFW and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 27. City offices are closed and trash and recycling pickup is delayed one day.
Saugus and Melrose: closures posted, no ceremony listed
Saugus has posted its holiday schedule but not a ceremony. Trash and recycling will not be collected Wednesday; collection resumes Thursday, November 12, one day behind, and residents should have barrels out by 7 a.m. the day after their normal pickup through the end of the week. The CHaRM Center and compost site at 515 Main Street is closed Wednesday and reopens Saturday, November 14, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Questions go to Solid Waste and Recycling Director Scott A. Brazis at 781-231-4036.
In Melrose, schools, the library, municipal offices and the City Yard are closed Wednesday, and trash and recycling pickup is delayed one day. The city’s calendar does not list a ceremony. Boston Public Schools, including the Charlestown schools, are closed for the day.
Not yet posted
As of Monday morning, Beverly, Lynn, Peabody, Medford, Malden, Revere, Marblehead and Lynnfield had not posted Veterans Day ceremony details on their municipal websites or calendars. Most of those communities hold ceremonies every year, and several announce them only through their veterans services offices or social media in the final days. We will add them here as they appear.
Wherever you go Wednesday: arrive a few minutes before 11, dress for the weather if the ceremony is outdoors, and if you are a veteran, let the organizers know so they can recognize you.
