Bedford's next Remembrance Sunday is 14 November 2027 at the Embankment war memorial. In 2026 the service began at 10.30am, with the road closed from 9am.

Bedford’s next Remembrance Sunday is Sunday 14 November 2027, with Armistice Day on Thursday 11 November 2027. The council has not published the 2027 programme yet. In 2026 the service began at 10.30am at the war memorial on the Embankment, with the road shut from 9am, and we will update this page when the 2027 times are confirmed.

Overview

  • Remembrance Sunday 2027: Sunday 14 November, War Memorial, Bedford Embankment (what3words ///leave.river.fans). Start time due from the council nearer the day.
  • Armistice Day 2027: Thursday 11 November. In 2026 the town’s two-minute silence at 11am was held in Harpur Square (///talent.skip.bared).
  • 2026, for reference: the service started at 10.30am on 8 November, the silence was at 11am and the Embankment was closed from 9am.

Updated 12 November 2026: rolled forward to 2027. The 2026 programme below, from the council’s published details, stays as a record of how the day runs.

How the 2026 service ran

In 2026 the council asked people to gather at the war memorial ready for the parade arriving from Russell Park. Its order of service sets out the morning:

  1. Welcome as the parade and dignitaries assemble.
  2. The Exhortation, given by the chairman of the Bedford and District branch of the Royal British Legion.
  3. Two-minute silence at 11am, started by three blasts of a whistle and the Last Post, and ended by one long blast and Reveille.
  4. Laying of the wreaths, to Beethoven’s Funeral March No 1.
  5. Prayers, the hymn O God, Our Help in Ages Past, and intercessions, led by the Bishop of Bedford, the Right Reverend Richard Atkinson.

After the service the parade carries on along the Embankment and finishes in Harpur Square.

A few practical points from the council:

  • Bring your own wreath for afterwards. Members of the public can lay wreaths or tributes at the memorial once the service has finished.
  • Keep the entrance to the memorial clear, so dignitaries, standards, veterans and the younger members of the parade can get through. Stewards will direct people.
  • Wheelchair users: a limited number of spaces by the memorial for a wheelchair user and one carer, first come, first served.
  • Order of service: online at bedford.gov.uk/Order-Of-Service, with a QR code on the day and a small number of paper copies.
  • Can’t be there? The service is relayed live online and on DAB by Bedfordshire Health Radio and Bedford Radio.

Armistice Day 2026, Wednesday 11 November

The borough also marks Armistice Day itself with a short ceremony and a two-minute silence at 11am. It has moved around the town centre:

Bedford's Armistice Day commemoration by year, Bedford Borough Council
YearDayWhere
2022Friday 11 NovemberRiverside Square
2023Saturday 11 NovemberRiverside Square
2025Tuesday 11 NovemberHarpur Square
2026Wednesday 11 NovemberHarpur Square

Sources: the council’s 2022 announcement as reposted by Sharnbrook Parish Council, the 2023 announcement via Kempston Town Council, and the 2025 and 2026 council releases.

This year the council invites people to Harpur Square for a short ceremony, arriving at 10.40am for the silence at 11am. It has not said whether the private reading of the Bedfordshire Yeomanry names in the Mayor’s Parlour, held before last year’s silence, will run again.

Last year the public were asked to arrive at 10.40am for the silence, followed by an inspection of the parade by the Mayor and the Lord Lieutenant. Before that, a private ceremony at the memorial in the Mayor’s Parlour reads the names of the Bedfordshire Yeomanry men who died in the First World War. For the first time last year it was live-streamed into the Harpur Suite, with the public invited in from 10.15am for a 10.25am start.

The Poppy Appeal

The council says poppies are on sale at locations across the borough, including supermarkets and a stall in the Harpur Centre.

Services in the villages and Kempston

The council says many other services are held across the borough and points people to parish and town council websites, noticeboards and newsletters.

Getting there

In 2026 the Embankment was closed to traffic from 9am on the Sunday, and the council pointed people to the town centre car parks. All council-owned town centre car parks are free all day on Sundays except Prebend Street, Ashburnham Road, Robinson Pool and Foster Hill Road. Our parking in Bedford page has the full list, and Bedford roadworks has anything else affecting the roads.

For the rest of the season, see Bedford fireworks and the Christmas lights switch-on.

Sources