Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, Nov. 11, this year, and several Bismarck–Mandan institutions have posted their 2026 plans for the holiday, from a campus Mass and a college band concert to library, county office and school closures.
The University of Mary will hold a Veterans Day Mass at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, in Our Lady of the Annunciation Chapel on campus, according to an Oct. 27 university news release. The release says veterans, active-duty military personnel from all branches, their families and the wider community are invited. Near the end of Mass, veterans and service members in attendance will be invited to receive a special blessing, and afterward veterans, active-duty personnel and their families are invited to a free brunch at The Crow's Nest Campus Restaurant, the university said.
Ahead of the holiday, the Bismarck State College Department of Music will present its 2026 Patriotic Concert at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, in the Sidney J. Lee Auditorium, according to the college's events calendar. The college says the free concert honors veterans' service and will include the BSC Concert Band, String Ensemble, Men's and Women's Chamber Ensembles and Concert Choir.
In Mandan, Mandan Public Schools reported on its website Nov. 5 that the Mandan Middle School community planted the DAV Field of Flags in honor of veterans, raising $1,198 for this year's display. The district said members of the local Disabled American Veterans chapter and its Honor Guard took part.
What's closed
The Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 11, for Veterans Day, according to the library's 2026 holiday list, which cites City of Bismarck ordinance. The library lists its regular hours as 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Burleigh County's online calendar lists county offices as closed Nov. 11.
Bismarck Public Schools' district calendar lists Veterans Day, Nov. 11, as a no-school day.
Bismarck State College's campus calendar lists Nov. 11 as a holiday with no classes and BSC offices closed.
The Bismarck Event Center had no Veterans Day-specific notice on its events page as of Nov. 6, but the page lists a standing policy that its administration office and box office are closed on federal holidays; Veterans Day is a federal holiday, according to the North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs.
Check ahead
As of Nov. 6, the City of Bismarck, the City of Mandan, Bis-Man Transit and the Morton Mandan Public Library had not posted Veterans Day-specific notices on their websites about office hours, garbage collection or bus service that Bismarck Local could find. Bis-Man Transit's website says demand-response service is available during holiday service hours on holidays, so riders should call ahead. Mandan Public Schools families should check the district calendar for Nov. 11. No official 2026 announcement of a community ceremony at the North Dakota Heritage Center had been posted on state websites as of Nov. 6 that Bismarck Local could find.
Veterans Day was formerly known as Armistice Day, marking the cease-fire that took effect at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918, during World War I, according to the North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sources: University of Mary news release (Oct. 27, 2026); Bismarck State College events and campus calendars; Mandan Public Schools website; Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library Hours & Holidays page; Burleigh County calendar; Bismarck Public Schools calendar; Bismarck Event Center; Bis-Man Transit; North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs.
