Pearl Harbor National Memorial will mark the 85th anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack with three days of public ceremonies this December, including a dawn remembrance at the memorial and tributes to the USS Utah and USS Oklahoma on Ford Island. The commemoration, themed “Courage of Commitment,” runs from Dec. 6 to Dec. 8, 2026, at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial and other sites across Oahu.
Pacific Historic Parks and the National Park Service announced the schedule for public ceremonies, educational programs and remembrance opportunities tied to the anniversary, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Aileen Utterdyke, president and CEO of Pacific Historic Parks, said the 85th commemoration gives residents and visitors an opportunity to reflect on the courage, service and sacrifice that shaped the nation's history, per the same report. The commemoration is expected to draw thousands of veterans, military families, visitors, history enthusiasts and members of the public from around the world, according to a Pacific Historic Parks news release cited in the Star-Advertiser's report.
Dawn Ceremony Opens to the Public at the Memorial
The centerpiece of the weekend, the National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony, is set to begin at 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 7, 2026, with visitor-center gates opening at 6:15 a.m., according to pearlharborevents.com. The event will honor more than 2,400 American lives lost in the attack, per the Star-Advertiser's reporting, and will take place on the lawn of the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, open to the public, the organizers note. No tickets are required for any of the commemorative events, and the usual $7 parking fee at the memorial will be waived for the day.
The ceremony sits within the broader scope of the attack's toll: in less than two hours on Dec. 7, 1941, more than 2,400 Americans were killed, including 1,177 aboard the USS Arizona, according to Hawaii News Now. Organizers say a livestream and recording of the main commemoration ceremony, along with the Ford Island events, will be made available at a later date, with details to follow on pearlharborevents.com.
Ford Island Ceremonies Honor USS Utah and USS Oklahoma Crews
Two additional ceremonies will take place on Ford Island, where access is restricted to those holding military or government identification. The USS Utah memorial ceremony is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 6, 2026, honoring the 58 crew members lost when the ship was struck by two torpedoes and capsized and sank within 12 minutes. The USS Utah was the first ship torpedoed in the Japanese attack on the Pacific Fleet.
The following day, the USS Oklahoma memorial ceremony begins at 1 p.m. on Dec. 7, 2026, paying tribute to the 429 crew members killed after the ship was struck by nine torpedoes and capsized. Both ceremonies are open to the public, though attendees must have military or government access to Ford Island. The USS Utah ceremony honors the 58 crew members lost, while the USS Oklahoma ceremony remembers the 429 sailors and Marines lost aboard the ship, per the same Hawaii News Now account.
A Tradition Rooted in Education and Preservation
Pacific Historic Parks supports the Pearl Harbor National Memorial through education, preservation and public programs, and the nonprofit has organized similar commemorations in past years. Last year's 84th-anniversary observance was also promoted as a week of free, public events, and the 2025 National Pearl Harbor Commemoration Ceremony ran from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the same Arizona Memorial Place location, according to pearlharborevents.com. That 2025 gathering was expected to include a dozen World War II veterans, five Rosies, one Pearl Harbor survivor and a WWII nurse, Hawaii News Now reported at the time.
This year's organizers have pointed visitors to pearlharborevents.com for the latest schedule and visitor information as the December commemoration approaches. With the 85th anniversary falling on a Monday, the three-day stretch of ceremonies offers Oahu residents and travelers multiple ways to take part, whether on the memorial's open lawn or, for those with the required access, at the Ford Island sites where the Utah and Oklahoma still rest.
