The City of Houston will hold a free tribute at 10 a.m. in Lauren’s Garden, while Rothko Chapel and First Unitarian Universalist Church will hold services for several hours
HOUSTON, Texas — Houston will commemorate Friday, September 11, 2026, the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with public ceremonies in downtown and at other locations across the city.
The City of Houston will hold its official tribute at 10 a.m. in Lauren’s Garden, inside Market Square Park. On that same day, Rothko Chapel and First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston will conduct multi-hour commemorative services open to the public.
The September 11, 2001 attacks left 2,977 people dead in New York, the Pentagon, and Pennsylvania. This year marks exactly 25 years since the attacks.
9/11 in Houston: Confirmed schedules
- 8:00 a.m.: the day of readings and remembrance continues at First Unitarian Universalist Church; it began at 7:40 a.m.
- 10:00 a.m.: Houston City Ceremony in Lauren’s Garden, Market Square Park.
- 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.: commemorative service at Rothko Chapel.
- 7:40 a.m.–midnight: service and reading of names at First Unitarian Universalist Church.
- Saturday the 12th, 8:00 a.m.: Houston 9/11 Heroes Run at Houston City Hall.
Houston will hold its official ceremony at 10 a.m. in Market Square Park
The 25th anniversary ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday, September 11 at Lauren’s Garden, inside Market Square Park, at 301 Milam St. in downtown Houston.
The event will be free and dedicated to the people who died during the attacks and to those who participated in the response efforts.
Lauren’s Garden is Houston’s permanent memorial dedicated to 9/11. The space especially honors Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas, who grew up in Houston and died aboard United Airlines Flight 93.
Grandcolas was 38 years old and was expecting her first child when she died. The garden also honors the rest of the victims of the September 11 attacks.
Details of the ceremony can be found in the Downtown Houston events calendar.
Rothko Chapel will have a six-hour service
Rothko Chapel, located at 3900 Yupon St., will hold its 25th anniversary service from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The commemoration will be presented in conjunction with First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston and will include interfaith prayers, moments of silence, guest readings, and an extended reading of names.
The service will address the lives lost on September 11 and deaths related to the violence after the attacks, including American, Iraqi, and Afghan victims.
The public may attend the entire event or only part of the program.
First Unitarian Universalist Church will begin the readings at 7:40 a.m.
The parallel commemoration at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, 5200 Fannin St., will begin at 7:40 a.m. and run until midnight.
The two institutions will read simultaneously more than 600 pages of names throughout the day.
Rothko Chapel keeps the 25th anniversary service program available and offers advance registration.
Lauren’s Garden maintains a direct link between Houston and Flight 93
Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas grew up in Houston, studied at Stratford High School, and later graduated from the University of Texas.
On September 11, 2001, she was traveling on United Airlines Flight 93 to California after attending her grandmother’s funeral.
Flight 93 was one of the four hijacked airplanes during the attacks. The 40 people aboard who were not part of the hijackers died when the plane crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew tried to regain control of the aircraft.
Lauren’s Garden was later created in Market Square Park as a memorial to Grandcolas and to all the victims of 9/11.
The 9/11 Attacks Left 2,977 Victims
The four commercial airplanes were hijacked by 19 members of al-Qaeda on the morning of September 11, 2001.
Two aircraft struck the towers of the World Trade Center in New York and another was steered into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane, Flight 93, crashed in Pennsylvania.
In total, 2,977 victims died: 2,753 in New York, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 passengers and crew on Flight 93.
Houston will continue the commemoration with a race on Saturday the 12th
Activities will continue on Saturday, September 12, with the Houston 9/11 Heroes Run.
The 5-kilometer race will begin at 8 a.m. at Houston City Hall and is open to runners, walkers, and participants in the ruck category.
The event is part of the national series organized by the Travis Manion Foundation to remember the victims and members of emergency services, the armed forces, and others who served after the attacks.
Participation requires registration. The modalities, prices, and availability can be checked in the 9/11 Heroes Run calendar.
The main Houston tribute will be free and will begin at 10 a.m.
The central ceremony of the City of Houston will take place on Friday, September 11 at 10 a.m. in Lauren’s Garden, 301 Milam St., within Market Square Park.
The event will be free. Rothko Chapel and First Unitarian Universalist Church will also hold public services for much of the day, while the commemorative race will take place on Saturday the 12th.
