Lakeland

Join members of the Lakeland Police Department and other first responders for a ceremony featuring a live performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Mission BBQ on Sept. 11, 2026, at 11:30 a.m.

The restaurant at 4014 S Florida Ave. is offering a free sandwich to fire, police, and first responders on Sept. 11 as “a small gesture of our thanks for all that you do to Protect, Serve, & Save.”

Haines City

The “Patriot Day Remembrance Ceremony” is this Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. in Railroad Park, 502 E Main St. in Haines City. The event will pay tribute to the lives lost, survivors, and countless heroes who demonstrated extraordinary courage on the day of the attacks.

Winter Haven

The Winter Haven Public Safety Department will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with “Honoring Our Heroes – Remembering the Day” on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

The event in South Central Park in downtown Winter Haven will include displays from agencies across Polk County, including the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. The Annual Freedom Walk starts at 5:30 p.m., and a ceremony will begin at 6 p.m.

“Honoring Our Heroes – Remembering the Day” is Friday, September 11, 2026, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. in Downtown Winter Haven. | Winter Haven Public Safety Department

Virtual

If you are unable to attend an in-person event, sign up to stream “The Day That Changed the World: A 25th Anniversary PROJECTIONS Event” live at 7 p.m. on Sept. 10 or 11. 

Photographers who documented the attacks and the days after in New York and across the U.S. will share their firsthand accounts of the experience. Presenters will discuss how the visual record of events was created, edited, and shared.

PROJECTIONS is a platform dedicated to photography as witness, memory, and historical record. It brings together photographers, editors, and visual storytellers to examine how we understand history and the human experience through images.

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