Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, November 11 this year, and around the Bay most of the public events cluster in the days just before it. That is useful if you want to go to something, and it is a good reason to think about the veterans in your own life now rather than on the morning of the holiday. This guide covers what the day honors, the events we found posted for this year, the two national cemeteries in the area that people often mix up, and a few simple ideas for saying thank you with flowers.
📅 What the Day Honors
The military holidays are easy to blur together. According to Wikipedia’s summary, Veterans Day commemorates the service of all U.S. veterans, while Memorial Day, the older holiday, specifically honors those who died while in military service. Armed Forces Day, in May, honors those currently serving. So Veterans Day is the day to thank someone who served, whether they are living or are remembered.
November 11 goes back to World War I. Major hostilities formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the armistice with Germany took effect, and the date was first known as Armistice Day. At the urging of major veterans’ organizations, it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954, when Congress replaced the word “Armistice” with “Veterans” in the bill President Eisenhower signed that year. If you want to read about the other end of the calendar, our Memorial Day guide, San Francisco National Cemetery and Memorial Day flowers, covers the holiday for the fallen.
🗓️ The Week Around the Bay
Here are events we found posted for this year. We read these listings on October 27, 2026. Details can change and some need an RSVP or a ticket, so check with each organizer before you go.
Swords to Plowshares, the San Francisco veterans’ services organization, posted a round-up of its Veterans Day week on October 26:
- Friday, November 6, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.: an East Bay Veterans Day celebration at the Oakland Veterans Memorial Building, 200 Grand Avenue. Swords describes it as part resource fair and part party for veterans and their supporters, with a meal and remarks from local leaders. It asks for an RSVP.
- Sunday, November 8, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.: the Sunday celebration at GLIDE Church, 330 Ellis Street in San Francisco, which Swords says has honored San Franciscans who served on the Sunday before Veterans Day for decades.
- Monday, November 9, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.: a “Salute to You” party for veterans at the Michael Blecker Veterans Center, 1060 Howard Street in San Francisco.
- Tuesday, November 10, 6:00 to 10:00 p.m.: the organization’s 30th annual Veterans Day Celebration at the Julia Morgan Ballroom, a ticketed fundraiser.
- Wednesday, November 11, 11:00 a.m.: a Veterans Day service at the Presidio Chapel, 130 Fisher Loop, hosted by the Interfaith Center at the Presidio. Swords encourages RSVPs by email.
Other listings we found:
- Sunday, November 8, 11:00 a.m.: the San Francisco Veterans Day Parade along Jefferson Street at Fisherman’s Wharf, listed by Project SF (which cites the San Francisco Pride Band’s page for the event) as including veterans’ groups, marching bands, and community organizations. The listing says to confirm details with the organizers.
- Wednesday, November 11, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: a Veterans Day program at the USS Hornet Museum, 707 West Hornet Avenue in Alameda, with guest speakers and a ceremony, as the museum’s event listing is reproduced by the local event site Ronnie’s Awesome List.
- Wednesday, November 11: the same site reports that the East Bay Regional Park District is waiving parking and entry fees at its regional parks for veterans, service members, and retirees. Check the park district for the details and exclusions before you go.
These are not the only events, and other cities around the Bay have their own parades and ceremonies. We have listed the ones we could confirm from sources read this week.
🪦 Two National Cemeteries, Easy to Confuse
If you are thinking about visiting a grave this Veterans Day, there are two national cemeteries in the area with similar names. According to Wikipedia, Golden Gate National Cemetery is in San Bruno, about 12 miles south of San Francisco, and is frequently confused with San Francisco National Cemetery, which dates to the 19th century and sits in the Presidio, in view of the Golden Gate.
Golden Gate is the newer of the two. Around 1937, San Francisco residents voted to bar the opening of new cemeteries inside the city, so the site was chosen south of the city limits in San Mateo County. Congress authorized it in 1937, the first interments took place in 1941, and it was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, 1942. It has stayed at its original 161.5 acres since 1941 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. Wikipedia also notes that it was the first cemetery to begin the large Memorial Day flag display, with flags raised around the base of the central hill and small flags placed on graves by volunteers.
Before you bring flowers to either one, check the cemetery’s own rules. We have not confirmed the current regulations at Golden Gate, and cemeteries differ on what is allowed and for how long. Our Memorial Day guide above goes into what lasts outdoors and how to choose.
🌹 Saying Thank You with Flowers
This part is our own florist’s advice, not research. Many veterans do not talk about their service, so a gift that does not ask for a story can be welcome. A few thoughts:
- Keep the card specific and short. “Thank you for what you did, and for who you are” is better than a slogan. Add a line about something you have noticed, like a kindness or a habit.
- Think about the person, not the occasion. A veteran who is also your neighbor, your coworker, or your grandmother may like a plain, cheerful bouquet more than anything red, white, and blue.
- Remembering someone who has died? The red poppy has been a remembrance symbol since the First World War. Wikipedia credits the poem “In Flanders Fields,” written by John McCrae in 1915, and notes the poem is associated in the United States with both Veterans Day and Memorial Day. A small arrangement with red flowers is a quiet way to mark a loss.
- Send early in the week if you can. Veterans Day is a Wednesday, and a delivery that arrives on or just before the day feels personal. We deliver seven days a week, including Sundays.
📖 Related Reading
If you are writing a thank-you for someone else who works hard all year, our thank-you flowers guide has card ideas that fit. If the veteran you are thinking of is recovering, see our get-well flowers guide, and if you are marking a loss, our sympathy and funeral flowers page may help. We deliver in San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda, and across the Bay.
📋 The Short Version
- Veterans Day is Wednesday, November 11. It honors all veterans; Memorial Day honors those who died in service.
- Events posted around the Bay run from Friday, November 6, in Oakland to the 11 a.m. service at the Presidio Chapel on the 11th. The San Francisco parade is listed for Sunday, November 8, at 11 a.m.
- Golden Gate National Cemetery (San Bruno) and San Francisco National Cemetery (Presidio) are different places. Check the cemetery’s rules before bringing flowers.
- Keep a thank-you card specific and short, and choose flowers that suit the person.
Sources, all read on October 27, 2026: Swords to Plowshares, “2026 Veterans Day Round Up” (October 26, 2026); Project SF, “San Francisco Veterans Day Parade” (updated October 26, 2026); Ronnie’s Awesome List, Veterans Day listings for the USS Hornet and the East Bay Regional Park District; and Wikipedia, “Veterans Day,” “Golden Gate National Cemetery,” “Remembrance poppy,” and “In Flanders Fields.” Event details can change, so please confirm with the organizers.