Poppy Appeal 2026: Launch Date, Key Dates and When to Wear
The Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal 2026 launches on Thursday, October 22, and poppies go on sale that day. Canada's national Poppy Campaign starts two days later, on Saturday, October 24, and both run to Remembrance Day on Wednesday, November 11. The UK dates come from the Royal British Legion and the Canadian ones from the Royal Canadian Legion. Below are the key dates, where to get a poppy, when to wear it and where the money goes.
Key dates in 2026
| Date | United Kingdom | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, Oct 22 | National launch of the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal. Poppies go on sale. | – |
| Sat, Oct 24 | – | The national Poppy Campaign begins and runs to November 11. The nightly Poppy Drop light display starts at the Senate Building in Ottawa. |
| Thu, Oct 29 | London Poppy Day. | – |
| Sat, Nov 7 | Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. | – |
| Sun, Nov 8 | Remembrance Sunday: the National Service at the Cenotaph and the march past in Whitehall. | – |
| Wed, Nov 11 | Armistice Day: two-minute silence at 11 am. | Remembrance Day: two minutes of silence. The Poppy Campaign ends. |
Where to get a poppy in the UK
- Supermarkets: poppies are on sale from October 22 at Sainsbury's, Tesco, Morrisons and Asda.
- High streets and stations: from collectors and in shops. You can pay in cash or by contactless.
- Online: the Legion's Poppy Shop and its Amazon shop sell poppies, and you can donate online or by phone on 0345 845 1945.
- How much to give: there is no set amount. The Legion asks you to give what you can.
Some areas have fewer volunteers. The Legion says that if nobody is offering poppies near you, you should look in a major supermarket or order online (Poppy FAQs).
Where to get a poppy in Canada
Poppies are free to everyone who wants one, and the Royal Canadian Legion accepts donations to its Poppy Fund. They are given out through Legion branches and partner locations from October 24. During the campaign you can also get a lapel poppy through the Legion's Amazon.ca storefront with a donation of $5, $10 or $20, and tap-enabled donation boxes take $5 by card (Royal Canadian Legion).
When to wear a poppy
- UK: start when poppies are offered in late October. The Legion suggests you stop on the day after Remembrance Sunday or Armistice Day, whichever is later (Poppy FAQs). In 2026 that is November 11, so you can wear it up to the end of that day. Some people also wear a poppy pin outside the Appeal.
- Canada: from October 24 until November 11. Some people take their poppy off at the end of November 11, and others place it on a cenotaph or wreath after the ceremony (Royal Canadian Legion).
How to wear it
In the UK there is no right or wrong way: it is a personal choice, the Royal British Legion says (How do you wear your poppy). The Royal Canadian Legion's guidance is to wear it on the left side, over the heart, and not to use a pin that hides the poppy.
What the poppy is, and why it is red
- The colour: it is red because that is the natural colour of field poppies, not to reflect blood, the Legion says. The leaf was added in the 1960s.
- The origin: the poppy as a symbol of remembrance goes back to John McCrae's poem "In Flanders Fields". The British Legion adopted it in 1921, and in Canada the Great War Veterans' Association did the same that year.
- Plastic-free: a plastic-free paper poppy was introduced in 2023. Its paper is 50% recycled coffee-cup waste and 50% responsibly sourced wood fibre, and it can go in paper recycling once you remove the pin. Older poppies with single-use plastic can be returned to Sainsbury's stores for recycling.
Where the money goes
In the UK, the Appeal pays for the Royal British Legion's support for serving personnel, veterans and their families. It raised £56.6 million in 2025, with 32 million poppies and 135,000 wreaths distributed and 60,000 collectors and volunteers, the Legion says. Money raised in Scotland goes to Poppyscotland. In Canada, donations stay in trust at branch level to support Veterans and their families.
The two-minute silence and the Cenotaph service
In the UK, Armistice Day is marked with a two-minute silence at 11 am on November 11, and one is also observed on Remembrance Sunday, which is always the second Sunday in November (Remembrance FAQs). The National Service of Remembrance is held at the Cenotaph in Whitehall on Remembrance Sunday, followed by the march past of 10,000 veterans (Royal British Legion). In Canada, two minutes of silence are part of the Remembrance Day ceremonies on November 11.
Watching in London: you do not need a ticket to watch the National Service. The public can stand on the pavements along Whitehall and Parliament Street, but entry may be limited once an area is full, and there is an accessible viewing area on the west side of Parliament Street, first come first served (Remembrance FAQs).
Want to volunteer?
Collectors must be at least 16 to collect money, and younger volunteers need an adult with them. Applications for 2026 are open, but the Legion warns that after October 1 it may not be able to place every volunteer in time, and will then contact people about 2027 (Poppy FAQs).
