Sunday 8 November: Weymouth from 10.30am with cannon at 11am, Dorchester at 10.55am. Five Dorchester roads shut 10.30am to 12.30pm; free Weymouth parking.

Remembrance Sunday falls on Sunday 8 November 2026. It is always the second Sunday of November, so the date is fixed and no announcement is needed to confirm it.

Weymouth, Dorchester and Lyme Regis have all published their 2026 programmes. Weymouth’s service starts at 10.30am on the Promenade, with the cannon fired from the beach at 11am; Dorchester’s starts at 10.55am at the War Memorial; Lyme Regis parades from 9.15am.

The quick answer

  • Weymouth: service at the War Memorial on the Promenade from 10.30am, with music from the Salvation Army. A cannon is fired from the beach at 11am to start the silence and at 11.02am to end it. Then a parade along the Esplanade to the US Memorial.
  • Dorchester: service at the War Memorial at 10.55am. The Rifles parade from the Army Reserve Centre at 10.30am; the town parade leaves North Square at 10.45am.
  • Dorchester roads closed 10.30am to 12.30pm: Great Western Road, parts of Weymouth Avenue, Trinity Street and South Walks Road, and The Bow. No signed diversion.
  • Weymouth Esplanade closed from William Street to King Street, 10am to about midday, then King Street to the King’s Statue until about 12.30pm.
  • Free parking all day in ten Dorset Council car parks in Weymouth town centre.
  • Lyme Regis: procession from Langmoor Gardens at 9.15am, service at St Michael’s at 9.45am, silence at the clock tower at 11am.

Updated 1 November: Weymouth now starts at 10.30am, not 10.55am, and has confirmed free parking and its road closures. Dorset Council’s Dorchester closure notice is out and adds The Bow. Lyme Regis has moved its parade to 9.15am and its service to 9.45am.

Weymouth: confirmed for 2026

Weymouth Town Council’s release of 21 October says the service and parade take place on Sunday 8 November at the War Memorial on the Promenade, and that the service “begins at 10.30am with music performed by the Salvation Army”. The Mayor, Cllr David Harris, will be joined by his Chaplain, the Reverend John MacKenzie, veterans, councillors and members of the Armed Forces.

  • 10.30am: the service begins
  • 11am: members of the Nothe Fort Garrison fire the first cannon from the beach to start the two-minute silence
  • 11.02am: a second cannon marks the end. The council warns that “the noise from the cannon will be loud”
  • wreaths are laid at the War Memorial, then a parade goes along the Esplanade to the US Memorial for a short second wreath laying

The council’s order of service has the Last Post and Reveille played by the Salvation Army band either side of the silence, and the Kohima Epitaph spoken by the Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset. The deadline for organisations to ask to lay a wreath was 28 October.

Weymouth parking and road closures

The council says it applied successfully for free parking all day in the Dorset Council car parks in the town centre: Cosens Quay, North Quay, Governors Lane, Harbourside, Melcombe Regis, Park Street, Pavilion, Pavilion Forecourt, Royal Yard and the Swannery.

No parking from 9pm on Saturday 7 November until about midday on Sunday on both sides of the Esplanade between King Street and Lennox Street, in the Astrid Way bays, in the parking area by the Pier Bandstand and in the loading bay next to Enzo’s restaurant. “No Waiting” cones go out on the Saturday afternoon.

The Esplanade closes to traffic from William Street to King Street from 10am until about 12pm, and from King Street to the King’s Statue from 12pm until about 12.30pm. Diversion signs will be in place.

Dorchester: confirmed for 2026

Dorchester Town Council’s event page sets out the morning:

  • 10.30am: the 6th Battalion The Rifles parade from the Army Reserve Centre, along High West Street, South Street and Trinity Street, to the War Memorial
  • 10.45am: the Remembrance Parade leaves North Square and goes along South Street to the War Memorial, with the Mayor, councillors, veterans, cadets, the Boys’ Brigade, Scouts, Girl Guides and the rugby club
  • 10.55am: the service at the War Memorial, led by the Reverend Keith Magee, with a reading by the Mayor, the Last Post played by a young student and wreaths laid by community groups
  • 12.30pm: a short ceremony at the German prisoners of war memorial in St George’s churchyard, Fordington. All are welcome

Dorchester road closures

Dorset Council’s notice 26.REM.028, dated 23 October, closes these roads between 10.30am and 12.30pm on Sunday 8 November:

  • Great Western Road, its whole length
  • Weymouth Avenue between Copper Street and South Walks Road
  • Trinity Street between Weymouth Avenue and Trinity Street car park
  • South Walks Road between Weymouth Avenue and Acland Road
  • The Bow between High West Street and Colliton Street

Colliton Street’s one-way order is lifted for the morning and it runs two-way so residents and businesses can get in and out. “There will be no specified alternative route for traffic on this occasion”, the notice says, so if you are driving through the town centre that morning, go round it or allow extra time. Our Dorset roadworks and travel page carries the county’s other closures, and the parking in Dorset page has the town’s car parks.

Lyme Regis: confirmed for 2026

The Love Lyme Regis listing has the town’s parade on Sunday 8 November, led by the Mayor, the civic party and members of the Royal British Legion. Participants assemble at the Pound Street entrance to Langmoor Gardens at 9am, and at 9.15am the procession goes down Broad Street, along Bridge Street and Church Street to St Michael’s Church for a service at 9.45am. It then gathers at the clock tower at 10.50am for the two-minute silence at 11am. The public are invited to line the route.

Other Dorset towns

Bridport Town Council runs an annual Remembrance Parade and Service with the Royal British Legion and has issued a media release about it in late October or early November in past years. Nothing for 2026 was on its website when we checked on 1 November.

Smaller towns and parishes hold their own services at their war memorials, usually timed so the silence falls at 11am. Most publish little online, so the parish council or the local Royal British Legion branch is the place to ask.

Frequently asked questions

When is Remembrance Sunday 2026?

Sunday 8 November 2026. Remembrance Sunday is always the second Sunday of November. Armistice Day, with the two-minute silence at 11am, falls separately on Wednesday 11 November.

What time does the Weymouth Remembrance service start?

10.30am, at the War Memorial on the Promenade, with the Salvation Army band. The cannon is fired from the beach at 11am and 11.02am to mark the silence, and the parade to the US Memorial follows the wreath laying.

What time does the Dorchester Remembrance service start?

10.55am, at the Dorchester War Memorial. The parades arrive from 10.30am (the Rifles) and 10.45am (the town parade from North Square).

Which roads close for the Remembrance parades?

In Dorchester, Great Western Road, parts of Weymouth Avenue, Trinity Street, South Walks Road and The Bow, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, with no signed diversion. In Weymouth, the Esplanade from William Street to King Street from 10am to about midday, then King Street to the King’s Statue until about 12.30pm.

Is parking free in Weymouth on Remembrance Sunday?

Yes, all day, in ten Dorset Council car parks in the town centre, including Swannery, Pavilion, Harbourside and Cosens Quay. Parking on the Esplanade between King Street and Lennox Street is banned from 9pm on the Saturday.

Sources