Annual Dec 7th Ceremonies
Pearl Harbor’s ANNUAL DEC 7 CEREMONIES
Elaborate Dec 7th ceremonies are done yearly by the National Park Service and the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites. Open and free to the public; this is an absolute “must-do” event if visitors are on Oahu during this period. If you are taking a rent-a-car to the event, you need to proceed to the Aloha Stadium, which will have free parking and complimentary motorcoach shuttles to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.
The shrine room of the Arizona Memorial Monument. Each year on December 7, there is an elaborate ceremony on the Arizona Memorial Monument.
Wreaths on display at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. Wreaths donated by countries and organizations decorate the Pearl Harbor visitor center on December 7.
Seating for the National Park Services’ Dec 7th ceremony is on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to come early; gates open at 6 am. Even if the seats are full, do not worry; their sound system is so sophisticated and precise that you can hear the guest speakers no matter where you are in the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.
The Navy and Airforce always go all out for this Dec 7th ceremony. The Navy closes Ford Island bridge so it can be lifted, allowing numerous destroys and submarines to parade before the Dec 7th audience. The Navy also provides a couple of hundred sailors to set up, escort, and clean up after the event. The Airforce always has exciting military plane flyovers and does an exciting job for the audience.
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Dec. 7, 2007) Sailors stationed aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) man the rails and render honors to USS Arizona Memorial and Pearl Harbor survivors as part of a pass-in-review during a joint U.S. Navy/National Park Service ceremony commemorating the 66th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. More than 2,500 distinguished guests and the general public joined Sailors, Pearl Harbor survivors and their families and friends on board Naval Station Pearl Harbor for the annual observance. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist David Rush (Released), U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist David Rush, United States Navy with the ID 071207-N-0879R-071, PD-USGov
The flag-lined entrance to the USS Missouri Battleship. The Battleship Missouri hosts ceremonies on December 7 as do all of the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites.
The Dec 7th event is about 2.5 hours long, starting at 7:45 am. Tours to the USS Arizona Memorial begin at 11:30 am. Dec 7th, ceremonies are also held at the USS Bowfin Submarine, Battleship, USS Missouri, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.
The National Park Service also does an outstanding job hosting the USS Oklahoma Dec 7th ceremony, held annually at 1:30 pm. Transportation to the USS Oklahoma event is free from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and is approximately an hour long.
For more detailed and updated information for Dec 7th ceremonies, visit PacificHistoricParks.org.
The USS Oklahoma Memorial on Ford Island. The Oklahoma Memorial is next to the USS Missouri Battleship, and there is a special ceremony at the Oklahoma Memorial on December 7.
