ABSTRACT
This chapter explores public understandings and interpretations of the 2018 Armistice Day ceremonies at Ypres, on the former Western Front in Belgium. Based on a series of interviews with attendees at the day-long event, the authors find that, beyond the commemorative symbolism and heightened emotion of the day, the feelings of being in a crowd add a significant experiential element. Moreover, rather than simply watching or ‘consuming’ the tourism aspect of the events, instead multi-national attendees help to create meaning by way of both their presence and their emotional engagement.
