Holocaust Memorial 2026 commemoration event at Council House

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Zafar Iqbal MBE will lead the event on Monday 26 January. The event is free, open to all, and starts at 11am.

‘Bridging Generations’ is the theme of this year’s event – reminding us all that the responsibility of remembrance belongs to all of us, to engage with the past, to honour the stories of survivors, and to carry forward the lessons into future generations.

Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates the victims and survivors of the Holocaust and Nazi persecutions, as well as other genocides around the world.

This Memorial Day marks anniversary of Auschwitz-Birkenau’s liberation, the largest Nazi concentration camp complex and commemorates the millions of lives lost through Nazi persecution and the genocides in Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda and Darfur.

This year’s programme will feature a candle-lighting remembrance ceremony and testimony from Mindu Hornick MBE, Nyathesis Kwawang and Rebecca Kwawang, who will talk about the generational experiences of Genocide survivors and their families alongside poignant music and poetry performances.

Councillor Zafar Iqbal MBE, Lord Mayor of Birmingham, said:

“Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity for us to come together, reflect on the past, and apply its lessons in fostering a more inclusive future.

We will light a candle to remember the victims of atrocities and genocides across the world, as well as those who continue to lose their lives through war, conflict, and hate crime.

I hope as many people as possible will join us at the Council House on 26 January in this act of remembrance.”

Holocaust Memorial Day is 27 January and people across the UK are being asked to join the Light the Darkness moment and to safely light a candle their window at 8pm, for a national moment of remembrance.

For more details please visit the Holocaust Memorial Day website