ARLINGTON, VA – This year, Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) will hold its National Wreath Day event via Facebook Live on Saturday, December 19, beginning at 9:00 a.m. The virtual event, featured on ANC’s Facebook page, will showcase the past week’s wreath placements. It will include vista views of gravesites decorated with wreaths, interesting historical facts about the cemetery, beautiful images from the week’s activities and live video of the final placement of wreaths inside the cemetery.
Through December 19, the cemetery will be closed to the general public. Family pass holders ONLY will be welcome to visit their loved one’s grave and to lay a personal wreath or floral tribute from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For detailed family pass holder information, click here.
As a reminder, there will be no Wreaths Across America wreaths available this week or on Saturday, December 19.
On Sunday, December 20, the cemetery will reopen to the public. Visitors are welcome to place graveside tributes of privately purchased wreaths or flowers in accordance with our floral policy, located at: www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Funerals/After-the- Funeral/Floral-Wreath-Tributes-at-Gravesite.
Arlington National Cemetery is complying with Department of Defense directives and supplemental “Force Health Protection Guidance for the Novel Coronavirus Outbreak,” and with current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for COVID-19. The health protection of our workforce and our visitors is a top priority, and ANC maintains our commitment to honor the nation’s veterans who rest on these iconic grounds.
The virtual live National Wreath Day event can be seen on Saturday, December 19 at 9:00 a.m. Please visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ArlingtonNatl/. If you do not have a Facebook account, go to www.dvidshub.net/webcast/25385.
Frequently Asked Questions for Saturday, December 19
Q. Are there any WAA wreaths available?
A. Wreaths have already been placed on graves throughout the cemetery. No Wreaths Across America wreaths will be available; at this time, only personal wreaths or floral tributes may be placed on your loved one’s grave.
Q. Will ANC grant an exception for wreath placement for individuals?
A. ANC cannot accommodate exceptions for individual wreath placement for individuals who donated a Wreaths Across America wreath. Wreaths have been placed on graves throughout the cemetery, and there are no longer any WAA wreaths available for placement. Family pass holders are welcome to lay a private wreath on other days, but Wreaths Across America wreaths will not be available.
There is no public WAA event on Saturday, December 19 except for the Facebook Live virtual event.
Q. What is a family pass holder?
A. A permanent family pass is issued to the next of kin (family pass holder) at the time of the interment. Additional permanent passes are available for the parents, spouse, siblings and children of the deceased. For application instructions, click this link: https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Portals/0/Docs/ANCParkingPass%20Jan%202020.pdf?ver=2020-01-03-133814-687
Q. Will new family passes be issued during this time?
A. Applications for permanent passes are available at the Welcome Center Information Desk and the Administration Building, or you may print this form: https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Portals/0/Docs/ANCParkingPass%20Jan%202020.pdf?ver=2020-01-03-133814-687.
Q. After a family pass holders visit their loved ones’ grave, can they visit other parts of the cemetery?
A. No. The cemetery is closed for visitors, and we request that all family pass holders depart from the cemetery after they lay a wreath at their loved one’s grave.
Q. Can a family pass holder help the soldiers lay a wreath during the week?
A. No. Wreaths have already been placed on graves throughout the cemetery. In order to protect both family pass holders and soldiers, we ask that you do not approach any soldiers in the cemetery, and avoid the areas where wreath-laying activities may still be occurring.