6 August — the anniversary of the bombing
At 08:15 on the morning of 6 August 1945, the first atomic bomb used in war detonated above this city. Every year on that date Hiroshima holds the Peace Memorial Ceremony at the Cenotaph in Peace Memorial Park. In 2026 it is the 81st anniversary, and it falls on a Thursday.
Check your dates before reading further. A Friday–Sunday or Saturday–Monday weekend in 2026 does not include 6 August. If your trip lands on 7–9 August you will miss the ceremony but still get the crowds, the heat and the museum reservation requirement — skip to the notices below. The rest of this panel matters only if you are actually in the city on the 5th or the 6th.
Two separate things happen on that date, and the guide's opening hours reflect both: the ceremony in the morning, and the lantern floating after dark. The museum stays open late on both 5 and 6 August — until 21:00, against 20:00 on other August days — because the city expects visitors across the eve and the day itself.
05:00–10:00Aioi-dōri and the streets around the park close to traffic. Taxis cannot reach the Cenotaph approach after about 06:00. Walk or take the streetcar.
from 06:00Security checkpoints open. Lanterns for the evening go on sale at the Rest House, ¥1,000 each — they routinely sell out by mid-afternoon.
06:30–07:00Arrive by now if you want to be within sight of the Cenotaph. After roughly 07:15 the inner cordon is shoulder to shoulder and you will be directed to a peripheral zone.
08:00Ceremony begins. Free, unticketed, no registration. The seated rows facing the Cenotaph are reserved for bereaved families, hibakusha and officials; the public stands on the lawns and cordoned walkways.
08:15The Peace Bell, then one minute of silence — the exact moment of the detonation. Observed across the whole city. Trains pause. Stand still and remove your hat wherever you are.
≈ 08:50Programme ends after the Peace Declaration, addresses by Hiroshima schoolchildren, and the release of doves.
≈ 09:45The museum opens — later than its usual 07:30, because of the park access restrictions. Do not plan an early museum slot on this date.
11:00–15:00Heat peak. The city opens free cooling shelters at the Rest House and the International Conference Center basement.
16:00–18:00The sensible museum window. The official tours have left and the queue has dropped. It stays open until 21:00.
18:30–21:00Tōrō Nagashi on the Motoyasu River — see below.
If you arrive too late for a clear view, take a secondary zone deliberately rather than pushing forward. Large screens and PA towers are set up near the Children's Peace Monument, along the eastern path by the river, and on the lawn south of the Peace Flame. Standing across the river near the Dome is quieter and gives you the Dome itself during the silence. The Orizuru Tower observation deck opens at 08:00 that morning (¥2,200) if the heat or the crowd is too much — it is air-conditioned and overlooks the whole park.
On conduct: this is a memorial, closer in register to a funeral than an event. People speak quietly and stand still. Photography is allowed in public areas but should be silent during the programme, with no flash and nothing pointed at the bereaved-family seating.
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