Wreaths Across America 2026: Date, How to Sponsor a Wreath, and How to Take Part

Every December, volunteers lay millions of wreaths on veterans' graves across the country in a single day. National Wreaths Across America Day in 2026 is Saturday, December 19, at thousands of participating cemeteries in all 50 states.

What Wreaths Across America is

Wreaths Across America is a nonprofit that grew out of a single wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery in 1992. Its mission is summed up in three words: remember the fallen, honor those who serve, and teach the next generation. On the day, local volunteers place a wreath at each grave, often saying the veteran's name aloud as they do.

How sponsoring a wreath works

• Wreaths are sponsored through wreathsacrossamerica.org, usually by choosing a participating cemetery or a local sponsorship group such as a school, scout troop or veterans' post.
• Sponsored wreaths go to the cemetery you choose and are laid by volunteers on the day.
• Each location sets its own deadline, often around Thanksgiving or the start of December. Check the page for the cemetery you choose.

Honoring one specific grave

Wreaths at most locations are placed across the cemetery rather than at a particular grave, and some locations do take grave-specific orders, with an earlier deadline. If you want a wreath or flowers at one particular veteran's grave, you can also place them yourself within the cemetery's holiday rules. At Arlington, for example, wreaths are allowed from December 1 to January 31.

Volunteering on the day

Anyone can volunteer. Register through the location's page, arrive for the opening ceremony, and lay wreaths afterwards. It is a meaningful outing for families with children, and many locations need help again in January when the wreaths are collected.

When the wreaths come down

Each cemetery sets its own removal date, usually in January. National cemeteries publish their dates, and you can find each one's rules on our national cemeteries pages.