Calgarians honour fallen soldiers at Field of Crosses sunrise ceremony
Posted Nov 2, 2025 2:18 pm.
Calgarians paid their respects at the Field of Crosses on Saturday ahead of Remembrance Day, honouring those who died serving our country.
Saturday was the first of 20 ceremonies for the Field of Crosses’ eleven days of remembrance leading up to Remembrance Day.
The ceremonies take place on Memorial Drive NW near McHugh Bluff, where a flag is raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. Crosses honouring 3,700 Albertans who made the ultimate sacrifice have been at the northwest field since 2009.
Brian Johnston is the volunteer lead from the Calgary Stampede, and he has been a volunteer and attendee for the ceremony for a decade.
“It’s very heartwarming to see everybody come out for the sunrise ceremony,” he told CityNews.
“It’s early in the morning, but they’ve all come out and recognized the importance of what the soldiers have done for us.”
Johnston and the Calgary Stampede volunteers come by every evening to straighten the memorials. Field of Crosses chairman Sean Libin says the work they do is crucial.
“It’s important that every one of these rows of 3,700 crosses is row on row to perfection. And why should they be to perfection? Because we’re honouring people who died in battle, and they deserve nothing less,” Libin said.
Retired Major Kent Griffiths, a 42-year veteran and the master of ceremonies, not only appreciates the time and work of the volunteers but also their role in ensuring no soldier is ever forgotten.
“It also is an opportunity for those volunteers to recognize every one of those 3,700 crosses by name. They speak that person’s name out so everyone is remembered every year. Guaranteed. And that really is important to me,” he said.
The final sunset ceremony on Nov. 10 is the Night of Lights, where a candle is placed in front of every single cross to honour the fallen soldiers.
Information about Remembrance Day, including the sunrise and sunset ceremonies, can be found online here.
