The Menin Gate Last Post: 8pm every evening, and how to be there for it

The Menin Gate Last Post sounds at 8pm every evening in Ypres, and it is free, with no booking. Most evenings the gate is already pretty full by a quarter past seven, so come early, stand on the pavement and stay silent, with no applause at the end. Spice Escapes takes a small hosted group to Ypres on World War I: A Journey of Memory and Meaning with Wings, 3 nights at a family-run hotel a few minutes' walk from the gate.

Below: the history, the order of the ceremony, the etiquette and the trip.

8pm in Ypres, every night of the year, with nothing to book

The Last Post Association, which runs the ceremony, gives the time as exactly 8pm, 365 days a year. At eight the police stop the traffic under the Menin Gate so the buglers can play.

The buglers are volunteers. By tradition they all belong to the local volunteer fire brigade and wear its uniform. The association's website counts more than 34,000 ceremonies.

Why the gate carries more than 54,000 names

The Menin Gate is a memorial to the missing. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission says more than 54,000 names are inscribed on it, British and Commonwealth soldiers who died around Ypres and have no known grave.

At the gate's inauguration in 1927, buglers of the 2nd Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry played the Last Post. The next year Pierre Vandenbraambussche founded the Last Post Association, whose buglers sounded the call through the summer of 1928 and daily from the spring of 1929.

The daily call stopped during the German occupation of Ypres from 1940. It was played at Brookwood Cemetery in the UK instead, and returned to the gate in 1944.

What happens, in order, in ten to twenty-five minutes

• The call to attention.
• The Last Post.
• The Exhortation, from Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen.
• One minute's silence.
• The laying of wreaths.
• Reveille.

Wreath layers, a band, a choir or a piper may take part, so the length varies from evening to evening.

Come early, keep to the pavement, and do not clap

The association recommends arriving promptly, as most evenings the gate is pretty full by a quarter past seven. Stand only on the pavements, which it marks on a map on its website.

Stay quiet for the whole ceremony, do not applaud during or after it, and follow the association's officials on the night.

To find a name, come earlier in the day. After its restoration, the Commission says all 1,210 name panels are fully open to the public again.

A family-run hotel minutes from the gate, and a host with the group

You stay at the Albion Hotel, run by Christiane and her daughter Ruth in a restored building from before the First World War. It is central, with full breakfast, and the Menin Gate and the town's food and chocolate shops are within walking distance, so you can be at the Last Post on one evening or every evening.

Claire Dymond hosts with Andrea Dal Moro of Wings, our travel partners. They meet you off the Eurostar from St Pancras for the private transfer to Ypres. An optional group dinner can be arranged on the first evening, at your own cost, and an expert local guide takes the group to Tyne Cot and the trenches at Sanctuary Wood.

Groups are around fifteen people, and some reach twenty. Most people book on their own, and there is a room-to-yourself cost, explained on our single supplement page. The trip is from £1,019. See the dates and book online on the holiday page, which shows 8 Apr 2027 – 11 Apr 2027.

First trip on your own? Read our notes for first-time solo travellers. More is under Belgium, culture and discovery holidays and our over 50s solo holidays.

If Ypres does not fit your dates: Kraków or Paris

Kraków Discovery is 4 nights a few steps from Main Market Square, hosted by Jackie Whyte, from £589. Optional trips include Schindler's Factory Museum and a full day at Auschwitz-Birkenau, about 90 minutes away. Dates: 26 May 2027 – 30 May 2027.

All Inclusive Perfect Paris is a lighter break: 3 nights on a boat a short walk from the Eiffel Tower, full board with drinks, hosted by Samantha Pike, from £679. Dates: 3 Feb 2027 – 6 Feb 2027. More under Poland and France.

Questions people ask

What time is the Last Post at the Menin Gate?

It starts at exactly 8pm, local time in Ypres, every evening of the year. It is free, and nobody needs to book.

Can you clap at the end of the Last Post?

No. The Last Post Association asks everyone to stay quiet for the whole ceremony and not to applaud during or after it.

How long does the ceremony last?

The association says it is seldom shorter than ten minutes and seldom longer than twenty-five. It depends on who takes part that evening, from wreath layers to a band, a choir or a piper.

Can I lay a wreath at the Menin Gate?

Yes. Individuals and groups can apply through the Last Post Association's website, and there is no limit on wreath layers each evening. If you cannot be there, it will lay a Royal British Legion wreath for you on the Wednesday nearest your chosen date, given at least 72 hours' notice.

See the dates and book online for your evenings at the Menin Gate

See the dates and book online on the World War I: A Journey of Memory and Meaning page, with live prices and the Book button. Availability: 14 places left.

For a question before booking, such as laying a wreath while you are in Ypres, ask Claire Dymond, the host, through our contact page, or Rosie, the chat on the holiday page.