Veterans Day in Lawrenceville 2026: ceremony and closings

Gwinnett County’s Veterans Day ceremony is at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, at the Fallen Heroes Memorial in Lawrenceville. The memorial stands on the grounds of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive. It is the county’s main Veterans Day event, and it is free. The speaker is retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Daniel Kaufman, the county said Oct. 7.

Updated Nov. 5: the Armed Forces Monument at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center is lit green through Nov. 11 for Operation Green Light for Veterans. The county asks residents and businesses to swap one porch, window or storefront light for a green bulb from Nov. 4 through 11.

Updated Oct. 28: the county’s latest notice confirms a Veterans March opens the ceremony, asks people to register for the Stand Down, and says where to park if bad weather moves both events indoors, because the building’s front entrance is under construction. Details below.

Updated Oct. 25: the county has named the speaker and says the ceremony and Stand Down are rain-or-shine events that move indoors in bad weather. A veterans brunch in Lawrenceville on Nov. 4 is added below.

Last checked Nov. 5, 2026. Details come from Gwinnett County’s Veterans Day notice, updated Oct. 28, its October 2026 county newsletter and its fall 2026 program guide. This page is updated each year at the same address.

Know before you go

• When: 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026
• Where: Fallen Heroes Memorial, Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive
• Cost: free
• Also that morning: the Gwinnett County Stand Down resource fair, near the memorial
• Organizer: Gwinnett County, 770-822-8000

The ceremony

Gwinnett County says the ceremony pays tribute to the county’s military veterans. This year it will also honor veterans who have reached their 100th birthday and beyond, to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary, according to the county’s October newsletter.

The ceremony starts with a Veterans March, and every veteran who attends is invited to take part, the county said in its Oct. 28 notice. The program also includes remarks from county officials and honor guard activities.

The keynote speaker is Dr. Daniel Kaufman, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general. The county says he was dean of the academic board at West Point and later founding president of Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, where he is now president emeritus. He also led the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.

If it is cold or wet: the county calls the ceremony and Stand Down “rain-or-shine events” that move indoors to the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in bad weather. Last year it moved the ceremony indoors because of cold temperatures, to the auditorium at the same address, and asked guests to use the front entrance instead of the parking deck entry, according to its 2025 notice. This year the county says the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center’s front entrance is under construction. If the events move indoors, it asks people to park in the parking deck at the corner of Constitution Boulevard and Nash Street. Level P4 has direct access to the building and accessible parking spaces, according to its Oct. 28 notice. Check the county’s news page the morning of the event. Our page on the justice center entrance closing has more on the construction.

The Stand Down for veterans

Before and after the ceremony, veterans and their families can visit the Gwinnett County Stand Down near the Fallen Heroes Memorial, the county’s Oct. 28 notice says, to connect with resources and services. It runs from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 11, the county says. The county asks people to register for the Stand Down on Eventbrite so it knows who is coming. It is free and open to all ages. In 2025 the county said the Stand Down offered health screenings, housing resources, haircuts and vaccines. Vendors who want a table can call 678-377-6929, the number in the program guide.

Other events for veterans nearby

• Veteran’s Brunch, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the Bethesda Park Senior Center, 225 Bethesda Church Road, Lawrenceville: a luncheon honoring veterans, free for veterans and $6 a guest, from the county’s fall program guide.
• Veteran’s Ice Cream Social, 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at Bogan Park in Buford: free ice cream sundaes honoring veterans, from the same guide.
• Veteran’s Day Dance, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Shorty Howell Park in Duluth, about 10 miles west: music, dancing and light hors d’oeuvres, free, for ages 18 and up, from Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation’s fall program guide.
• The City of Lawrenceville had not posted a Veterans Day event of its own when we checked on Oct. 28. If it does, we will add it here.

What is open and closed

The city’s Sanitation Department lists Veterans Day among its 12 holidays. “Whatever day of the week the holiday falls on, that day and all subsequent days of that week will have recycling and trash pick up delayed by 1 day,” according to the city’s holiday schedule. Gwinnett County says trash in unincorporated areas will be collected as normal during the Veterans Day week. More on our trash and recycling page.

Getting there and parking

The Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center is at 75 Langley Drive and has its own parking deck. Downtown Lawrenceville’s free public decks and lots are on our getting around page, and current lane closures are on the road construction and closures page.

What it means for you

• Plan for 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 75 Langley Drive, and arrive early to park.
• Veterans looking for help with health care, housing or benefits can come from 10 a.m. for the Stand Down.
• City trash customers with a Wednesday or Thursday pickup should put carts out a day late.
• For more November dates, see things to do this month and our Thanksgiving page.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Gwinnett County Veterans Day ceremony in 2026?

11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, at the Fallen Heroes Memorial on the grounds of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, according to Gwinnett County. Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Daniel Kaufman is the speaker, and the ceremony is held rain or shine, moving indoors in bad weather.

What is the Gwinnett County Stand Down?

A resource fair for veterans and their families near the Fallen Heroes Memorial, before and after the ceremony. The county says it runs from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 11.

Is trash pickup delayed in Lawrenceville on Veterans Day?

Yes, for city sanitation customers. Veterans Day is a city sanitation holiday, so Wednesday and Thursday pickups move back one day that week. Gwinnett County says its haulers in unincorporated areas collect as normal.

Are Gwinnett County offices closed on Veterans Day?

Yes. Gwinnett County says its government offices close Wednesday, Nov. 11, apart from essential operations, and reopen Nov. 12. The county lists the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse as open that day.