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9/11 20th Anniversary: Where to Commemorate and Honor the Lives Lost on Sept. 11

9/11 20th Anniversary: Where to Commemorate and Honor the Lives Lost on Sept. 11

Pay tribute and remember the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001 at these commemorative events in the New York area.


The 9/11 20th anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001 is soon upon us, and it is never easy to help our family comprehend. In the NYC area, there are a variety of commemorative events and memorials where you and your family can pay tribute and remember the lives lost. Whether it is offering a moment of silence, a place for peace and prayer, or an opportunity to give back to the New York and military community, you will find a variety of places throughout the city for you and your kids to visit around the September 11 anniversary. 

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September 11 Anniversary Tributes in Manhattan

Bagpipe Tribute
WHEN:
Wednesdays, 1:30-2pm
WHERE: 9/11 Memorial Museum
WHAT: A weekly bagpipe tribute honors those who died on 9/11 as well as those who are sick or who have died from exposure to hazards and toxins in the aftermath of 9/11. 
WANT TO GO? Free. Bagpipers play near the 9/11 Memorial Glade.

Re:Growth Public Art Piece - Ocufluent I & II by WOOLPUNK
WHEN:
Anytime through Sept. 15
WHERE: Riverside Park, 97th Street and Riverside Drive, Upper West Side
WHAT: Ocufluent I & II honors the victims of the Sept. 11 tragedy and all those who are still impacted. The piece is composed of digital photographs of the Oculus—a sacred space where feelings of shock, terror, loss, and grief resurface and intermingle with its rebirth—printed on large-scale vinyl banners. The stitched flowers on the photo of the Oculus memorialize, hearten, and pay tribute to all those who lost their lives on 9/11 and to all those who are still suffering.
WANT TO GO? Free. 

Rise Up and Remember: 9/11 5K
WHEN:
Friday, Sept. 10, 9am to Sunday, Sept. 12, 11:59pm
WHERE: Tuesday's Children, Online
WHAT: Virtually come together to walk or run 5K (3.1 miles) to honor 20 Years of Service and help Tuesday's Children "Rise Up and Remember."
WANT TO GO? $40; $12 for children ages 12 and younger. Advanced registration required. 

Musicians For Harmony Sets 20th Anniversary Concert for September 11, 2021
WHEN:
Saturday, Sept. 11, 7pm
WHERE: Kaufman Music Center, 129 W. 67th St., Lincoln Square
WHAT: The special event aims to elevate musical voices in the service of peace, health, and equity to commemorate the victims of 9/11, COVID-19, and social injustice.
WANT TO GO? $35 and up; free if you tune in virtually. Advanced registration required.

9/11 Medal Dash
WHEN:
Sept. 11-30, Anytime
WHERE: 9/11 Medal Dash Memorial Challenge, Online
WHAT: This 'Medal Dash' virtual run challenges you to run, walk, or jog 9.11 miles in remembrance of 9/11, anytime, anywhere, over any length of time between now and the end of September. Celebrate your finish with a limited edition commemorative 9/11 medal, run bib, and tech T-shirt.
WANT TO GO? $33.95-$59.75. Advanced registration required. 

9/11 Let Me Help, Inc Music & Fashion Celebrity Benefit Gala Concert
WHEN:
Saturday, Sept. 11, 5pm Red Carpet; 7pm, Event Begins
WHERE: Rumi Event Space, 229 W. 28th St., Chelsea
AGE: 13 and older
WHAT: The 9/11 celebrity extravaganza will feature the most illuminated stars of music, film, and fashion on the planet.
WANT TO GO? Tickets start at $30. Advanced registration required.

Table of Silence: Project 9/11
WHEN:
Saturday, Sept. 11, 8am
WHERE: Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Online
WHAT: Buglisi Dance Theatre and Lincoln Center, in partnership with Dance/NYC, honor the 20th year since the events of 9/11, and current crises that face humanity today, with a performance of the Table of Silence Project 9/11, an annual free public performance ritual for peace conceived and choreographed in 2011 by Jacqulyn Buglisi, artistic director of Buglisi Dance Theatre. 
WANT TO GO? Free. Watch on Facebook

A Village Gathering: To Honor and Remember
WHEN:
Saturday, Sept. 11, 5-6pm
WHERE: The New York City AIDS Memorial Park, 76 Greenwich Ave., Chelsea
WHAT: On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Art2Action, Greenwich House Music School, The New York City AIDS Memorial, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, and Village Preservation will hold A Village Gathering at the New York City AIDS Memorial Park. It will be a space for reflection, remembrance, and creative expression. This event will offer attendees and passersby a communal experience to mark this day. There will be an opportunity for community members to record their own stories as part of this event.
WANT TO GO? Free. 

September 11 Anniversary Tributes in Brooklyn

WTC Cortlandt: 20 Years After 9/11
WHEN:
Wednesday, Sept. 8, 5-6pm
WHERE: New York Transit Museum, Online
WHAT: The reconstruction of the Cortlandt Street subway station, located below street level within the World Trade Center site, was a significant component of the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan. Artist Ann Hamilton created CHORUS, an expansive field of woven text in marble mosaic commissioned by MTA Arts & Design for the rebuilt WTC Cortlandt station. Marking the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the New York Transit Museum will host a virtual discussion about this project.
WANT TO GO? Free. Advanced registration required. 

20th Anniversary 9/11 Remembrance Service
WHEN:
Thursday, Sept. 9, 10am
WHERE: 209 Joralemon St., Downtown Brooklyn
WHAT: Come together to honor the families of those who lost their lives on Sept. 11.
WANT TO GO? Free.

Story Time: 9/11 20th Anniversary Kids Panel
WHEN:
Saturday, Sept. 11, 11:30am
WHERE: Greenlight Bookstore, Online
WHAT: Greenlight hosts a panel discussion for the 20th anniversary of 9/11, featuring children’s book authors Sean Rubin (This Very Tree), Alyssa Bermudez (Big Apple Diaries), Saadia Faruqi (Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero), and Priya Huq (Piece by Piece). Together, these authors discuss 9/11, its aftermath, and how significant events shape people and communities in a story time panel for families and children of all ages.
WANT TO GO? Free. Advanced registration required. 

9/11 20th Anniversary Vigil
WHEN:
Saturday, Sept. 11, 7-9pm
WHERE: American Veterans Memorial Pier, 69th Street and Shore Road, Bay Ridge
WHAT: In honor of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the community will gather to remember and pay tribute to our heroes and those we lost. 
WANT TO GO? Free. The event will be livestreamed on Facebook @CMJB43 and @SenGounardes

September 11 Anniversary Tributes in Queens

20th Anniversary Memorial of 9/11
WHEN:
Saturday, Sept. 11, 4pm
WHERE: Friends of Maple Grove, Online
WHAT: Commemorate the 20th Anniversary of 9/11 with this virtual memorial.
WANT TO GO? The link will be posted on the Friends of Maple Grove Facebook page on the day of the event. It will also be available immediately after the premier on their YouTube Channel for viewing at your convenience.



September 11th Memorial
WHEN:
Saturday, Sept. 11, 7:30-8:30pm
WHERE: Vander Ende-Onderdonk House, 1820 Flushing Ave., Ridgewood
WHAT: On Sept. 11, the House will be lit in blue to honor those we lost and those who survived. There will be an outdoor reception on the property where you will be able to see the lights, as well as walk to the top of the hill and view the Manhattan skyline to see One World Trade’s beacon. All donations received will be sent to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. 
WANT TO GO? Free. Please email [email protected] to RSVP to the memorial reception

September 11 Anniversary Tributes in Westchester County

September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed the World' Poster Exhibition by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum
WHEN:
Through Sept. 30: Monday-Thursday, 9am-8pm; Friday, 9am-6pm; Saturday, 9am-5pm; Sunday, 1-5pm
WHERE: Hendrick Hudson Free Library, 185 Kings Ferry Road, Montrose
WHAT: In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum is offering libraries a poster exhibition, "September 11, 2001: The Day that Changed the World."
WANT TO GO? Free.

September 11 Anniversary Tributes on Long Island

Kindness Rocks
WHEN:
Wednesday, Sept. 8, 11am-12pm
WHERE: Long Island Children's Museum, 11 Davis Ave., Garden City
WHAT: LICM joins the NY cultural community in commemorating the 20th Anniversary of 9/11 and promises to never forget. Museum visitors are invited to create a kindness rock with a message promoting peace in our world for LICM’s Peace Garden.
WANT TO GO? Free with $14 museum admission. Museum reservations required.  

9/11 Remembrance and Recitation of Names Ceremony
WHEN:
Thursday, Sept. 9, 4:45pm
WHERE: Eisenhower Park, Field 6, East Meadow
WHAT: Mark the passage of two decades since the day that changed our lives forever. The passage of time will not dim the memory of Sept. 11 or weaken the spirit of community and 9/11 heroes. Nassau’s remembrance ceremony will include surviving family members reading of names of residents who lost their lives in the attacks, as well the unveiling of a new First Responders Memorial.
WANT TO GO? Free. The ceremony will also be livestreamed at facebook.com/NCExecutive

September 11th Memorial Service
WHEN:
Friday, Sept. 10, 12:30-2pm
WHERE: Denton Green Park, across from 99 James A. Garner Way, Hempstead
WHAT: Join the Village of Hempstead to honor the fallen heroes of Sept. 11, 2001, with a brief Memorial Service at Denton Green Park.
WANT TO GO? Free. 

9-11 Sunrise Memorial
WHEN:
Saturday, Sept. 11, 7:30am
WHERE: Town Park Point Lookout, Lido Boulevard, Point Lookout
WHAT: The Town of Hempstead invites you to return to the town's annual beachside Memorial Service on the sands along the soothing ocean of Town Park Point Lookout. Following the event, visit the Town of Hempstead's 9/11 Memorial Park, which includes a 30-foot steel beam from the Twin Towers, a special Memorial Table and Memorial Wall.
WANT TO GO? Free.

Compassion, Meditation and Remembrance
WHEN:
Saturday, Sept. 11, 8:30-9:30am
WHERE: Harry Chapin Rainbow Stage in Heckscher Park, NY-25A and Prime Avenue, Huntington
WHAT: This outdoor meditation will be led by Kadam Holly McGregor with a special, powerful practice called "Taking and Giving," that gives us a way to transform painful feelings and difficult situations, and enables us to be a positive force within our family and our community. In this way we will honor the many people of good heart who gave so much to save and help others on that day.
WANT TO GO? Free.

September 11 Memorial Service
WHEN:
Saturday, Sept. 11, 7pm
WHERE: The Common Ground, Rotary Park between Gillette and Candee Avenues, Sayville
WHAT: An evening of music, speakers and candlelight labyrinth walk for an evening of reflection and remembrance.
WANT TO GO? Free. Please bring your own chair or blanket. Event is rain or shine. 

September 11th Memorial Ceremony
WHEN:
Saturday, Sept. 11, 9:45am, memorial ceremony; 8pm, candlelight vigil
WHERE: East Northport Fire Department, 1 9th Ave., East Northport
WHAT: Twenty years ago, our lives were forever changed. Sept. 11th, 2001 marked history's deadliest terrorist attack on American soil. Almost three thousand people lost their lives, in three coordinated attacks. Those lost included 343 firefighters and 71 law enforcement officers. East Northport has continually vowed to “Never Forget” that tragic day or the lives lost. This year, the members of the East Northport Fire Department, along with members from neighboring Fire Departments, and the community, will come together to remember the attacks and pay tribute to the lives lost. 
WANT TO GO? Free. 

September 11th Memorial Murals 2021
WHEN:
Saturday, Sept. 11, 10am-5pm
WHERE: Railroad Museum of Long Island, 416 Griffing Ave., Riverhead
WHAT: On the occasion of the twentieth year remembrance of the attack of Sept. 11, 2001, please join the museum for the creation of all new 9-11 Memorial Murals on two historic railcars. Artists will be painting all day with a dedication ceremony at 3pm.  Beginning at dark that evening, “Towers of Light” will shine skyward from two arc light searchlights.
WANT TO GO? Free. 

September 2001: The Day that Changed the World
WHEN:
Through Sept. 30: Monday-Friday, 9am-9pm; Saturday, 9am-5pm; Sunday, 1-5pm
WHERE: Huntington Public Library, 338 Main St., Huntington
WHAT: This educational exhibition recounts the events of Sept. 11, 2001, through the personal stories of those who witnessed and survived the attacks. Told across 14 posters, this exhibition includes archival photographs and images of artifacts from the Museum's permanent collection. This poster exhibition was developed by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom.
WANT TO GO? Free.

Community of Hearts: an art exhibit in remembrance of 9/11
WHEN:
Through Sept. 30: Monday-Friday, 9am-9pm; Saturday, 9am-5pm; closed for Holidays
WHERE: Northport-East Northport Public Library, 151 Laurel Ave., Northport
WHAT: In recognition of the many lives impacted 20 years ago on Sept. 11, the library organized a community art exhibit featuring hearts painted on canvases. As a library and community, we have come together with our “hearts” to remember and reflect upon the events of that tragic day. 
WANT TO GO? Free.

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Shara Levine

Author:

Shara Levine, originally from Brooklyn, is the Events Manager for NYMetroParents. As a lifelong New Yorker, and mom of four raising her kids on Long Island, Shara knows her hometown well and brings her love of all things fun to NYMetroParents by sharing the best in kid friendly events, festival, concerts, and performances in NYC, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Westchester, and Rockland. When not helping parents plan their family's day out, Shara enjoys making random Seinfeld references and going on late-night Target runs. 

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