Scarborough Acts of Remembrance 2026: Annual Planting of the Crosses

The Planting of the Crosses returns to the Alma Square Garden of Remembrance on Sunday 1 November, from 11.45am to 12.30pm. It's one of those Scarborough traditions that doesn't get much press outside the town, but it's a big part of how we mark Remembrance here. The organisers describe it as a 'solemn, almost unique' tradition for the town, and that's a fair way to put it—it's a quiet, personal moment before the bigger services of the week kick in.

The ceremony itself is built around a few set pieces. There are prayers of dedication, a formal Parade of Standards, and the placing of individual commemorative crosses to pay tribute to fallen military personnel. The crosses are the heart of it: each one is a specific act of remembrance, so it's less about a general salute and more about the individual names and families behind them.

It brings together a fair cross-section of the town's civic and community life. The Deputy Lord Lieutenant and the Mayor of Scarborough will be there, and the Yorkshire Volunteers Band provides the music. Alongside them, you'll see local cadets, veterans and standard bearers—people from across the service community coming together in one spot. It's a small-scale gathering, but it carries a lot of weight.

The whole thing is open to all members of the public, so you don't need any particular connection to the military to attend. It runs from 11.45am to 12.30pm at the Alma Square Garden of Remembrance, in the heart of Scarborough.