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A decade after Pulse, Orlando comes together to remember
Memorial events, art exhibitions and a blood drive mark 10 years since the Pulse shooting
Ten years after a gunman killed 49 people at Pulse nightclub, Central Florida is gathering to remember those lost and honor a community that has continued to choose love over hate. A series of events throughout the week leading up to June 12 gives residents several ways to participate in the remembrance.
The main remembrance ceremony
The centerpiece of the week is the 2026 Pulse Remembrance Ceremony at First United Methodist Church on June 12. The event begins at 5:30 PM and includes musical performances from local artists and the Orlando Gay Chorus. Orlando Poet Laureate Camara Gaither will also deliver a special presentation. The evening closes with a candlelight ceremony and a reading of all 49 names. The church is located at 142 East Jackson Street in Orlando.
Orlando officials unveiled updated plans for the city’s permanent Pulse memorial Monday, bringing the project a step closer to construction as the 10-year anniversary of the nightclub shooting approaches. https://t.co/muuY7f0Sig
— FOX 35 Orlando (@fox35orlando) June 9, 2026
Art exhibitions honor the victims
Two art exhibitions are open to the public this month. Created in Community: Portraits of Pulse runs through August 23 at the Terrace Gallery at 400 South Orange Avenue. The exhibition features 49 portraits, one for each victim, designed by artist Jeff Sonksen and completed in paint-by-number format by friends, family members and community volunteers.
City Hall Plaza is also hosting a prayer ribbon memorial through June 14. Artist Jay Critchley, working with the Provincetown Community Compact in Massachusetts, sent colorful ribbons bearing messages of support that the community received in the months after the 2016 shooting. Each ribbon carries the name of one victim.
A blood drive and a lit memorial
OneBlood will host a Day of Remembrance blood drive outside City Hall on June 12, running from 8 AM to 6 PM. Donors can reserve a time slot through OneBlood’s website ahead of the event.
The Pulse Memorial site itself will also be illuminated continuously from dusk to dusk through June 15. The display sits at 1912 South Orange Avenue and offers a quiet, ongoing tribute throughout the week.
A panel focused on action
On June 13, the Human Rights Campaign, GIFFORDS and Equality Florida are hosting a panel discussion that includes State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith and Pulse survivor Brandon Wolf. The panel will look back at what has changed since 2016 and discuss how the community can continue honoring the victims through action rather than memory alone. The event takes place at 10 AM at a private location.
Together, these events give Orlando multiple ways to mark a decade since one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern American history, while reaffirming the resilience the city has shown ever since.
Story credit: CNN
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