n Saturday, Dec. 14, the annual Wreaths Across America (WAA) event will be held at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) and the Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery (SAHNC). Visitors will lay wreaths throughout ANC and SAHNC on headstones and columbarium niches to honor the sacrifice of our nation’s service members and veterans. ANC will open to visitors at 8 a.m. and SAHNC will open at noon.

“We are honored to host Wreaths Across America Day 2024. This day provides visitors an opportunity to reflect on the importance of service and learn the stories of the men and women who fought for our country,” said Executive Director of the Office of Army Cemeteries and Army National Military Cemeteries Karen Durham-Aguilera.

Visitors should anticipate large crowds and difficulty driving vehicles in the vicinity of Arlington National Cemetery due to road closures.

All visitors will be required to pass through the cemetery’s security screening process before entering the cemetery. Prohibited items include firearms and weapons of any type, alcohol, fireworks, tripods and pets of any kind, with the exception of service animals and military working dogs. For a complete list, please visit: www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/visit/security.

No vehicular traffic will be permitted inside the cemetery on Dec. 14, and there will be no vehicle parking for the public in the ANC Welcome Center parking garage except for those with handicapped plates or placards. We recommend visitors use public transportation or a ride share service for travel to and from the cemetery.

If the volume of visitors into Arlington National Cemetery exceeds our capacity to conduct a safe event, we will suspend entry into the cemetery. Visitors may wish to consider visiting one of the more than 4,600 participating locations across the country held on National Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 14 or volunteer to help remove wreaths during our annual “Wreaths Out” event on Saturday, Jan. 11.

• We encourage volunteers to use all four entrances to access Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday, Dec. 14. The Memorial Ave. entrance, Ord & Weitzel Gate, Service Complex Gate and Old Post Chapel Gate on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall (DoD ID card holders only) will open to the public at 8 a.m.

• All visitors must pass through the cemetery’s security screening process before entering.

Metro Access to ANC

• We encourage volunteers to use Metro transportation.

• To avoid congestion at the Arlington Cemetery Metro stop, we recommend exiting via the Rosslyn and Pentagon stations and walking to the cemetery. It is a short 15-minute walk from these locations to one of the cemetery entrances.

• Please look at this map for walking directions from nearby Metro stops.

ADA Accessibility

• Those with handicapped plates/placards will need to go to Pentagon North Parking, where their pass will be verified. They will then be directed to the ANC Welcome Center parking garage. The ANC Welcome Center parking garage will be available for those with a handicapped plate/placard from 6 to 7 a.m. on a first-come-first-serve basis. After 7 a.m., drivers will be directed to other parking options. Please do not arrive earlier than 6 a.m.

• The ANC Welcome Center parking garage is reserved for handicapped plate/placard parking from 6-7 a.m. or until full. After 7 a.m., no more vehicles will be allowed to park in the parking garage.

• Only those with handicapped plates/placards are permitted to park in the ANC Welcome Center parking garage. All others will be directed to the Pentagon North and South parking lots and the Hayes parking lot.

Driving/Parking

• To ensure a safe and secure environment for our visitors and employees, NO vehicular traffic will be permitted inside the cemetery for the duration of the event on Dec. 14.

• Limited public parking will be available at the Pentagon North and South Parking and Hayes Parking. Wreaths Across America volunteers and signage will be positioned in the parking lots, guiding visitors to walk to the nearest cemetery entrances.

• WAA will provide shuttle bus transportation from Pentagon North to drop-off locations east of the Service Complex Gate.

• For those parking in Pentagon South Parking, we recommend walking to the cemetery’s Service Complex entrance for screening and entry to the grounds. For those parking in Pentagon North Parking, we recommend walking to the cemetery’s main entrance on Memorial Ave. using the Route 27 pedestrian walkway.

• Please look at this map for driving/parking directions.

Ride Share

• For volunteers who plan to arrive via a ride-share (e.g., Uber, Lyft), the drop-off location is the Hayes lot in Pentagon City (880 Army Navy Dr.). From this point, volunteers must walk to the cemetery’s Service Complex Gate entrance.

Latest

For the latest information and event details, please visit www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/waa and follow us on social media @ArlingtonNatl for real-time updates on the day of the event. Visitors are also encouraged to download the ANC Explorer mobile app available for iOS and Android.