100+ Commemorative Speech Topics for Every Occasion

21 May 2025 645 Views Share

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Speeches teach students how to convey their thoughts and address a crowd of people. In this blog, we seek to discuss a type of speech known as the commemorative speech. We will examine its structure, types and more than a hundred topics for a speech.

What is a Commemorative Speech?

This type of speech honours and celebrates a person, group or an idea. A commemorative speech must inspire an emotional reaction within the people. The goal of this speech type is not to persuade and not to explain, but rather, to remember. The points below highlight some key characteristics :

• Emotional: The tone of the speech must be emotional and reflective.
• Focus on values: Must talk about specific human values like courage, freedom, love, etc.
• Personal: The speech must have a personal touch, including anecdotes to present the impact of the subject
• Formal language: The language used must be sincere and formal
• Occasion-specific: The speech must be tailored or specific when discussing any occasion.

These characteristics, while important, would be nothing without good structure. The following section sheds some light on its structure.

Structuring Commemorative Speech

The following framework is essential for structuring a commemorative speech.

• Introduction: Start with an appropriate quote or anecdote. You can also pose a relevant question.
• Body: Divide the body into 3-4 sub-sections. They are Background, Qualities and Legacy.
• Conclusion: End the speech on an emotional note, or even a call to action.

This framework helps organize any speech well. The upcoming section details the various types of commemorative speeches.

You may also read: Perfect the Art of Giving a Special Occasion Speech

Types of Commemorative Speeches

Now that we know what a commemorative speech is and its structure, it is imperative to know its types. There are many types, some of which are presented below.

The next section discusses these types in brief.

• Eulogies

Any eulogy is written to remember or honour someone who has passed away.

• Tributes

A common type of commemorative speech celebrates a person, group or entity's positive influence on the speaker or public.

• Toasts

A toast is a brief speech that celebrates or expresses good wishes.

• Dedication Speeches

Dedication speeches, as the name suggests, commemorate either the opening or naming of something in honour of someone or something.

• Graduation Speeches

This type of speech reflects on achievements and inspires future successes.

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Choosing the Right Commemorative Speech Topics

Choosing an appropriate commemorative speech topic is vital. It involves the following steps:

1. Understand the Occasion: Before the writing, understand the occasion. It helps decide what kind of topic suits the speech.
2. Know the Audience: Another essential thing to consider with the choice of topic is knowing your audience. If we know the audience, then that narrows the type of speech to write.
3. Choose Someone or Something Personal: Choose a personal topic. While not necessary, it is suggested to make you comfortable with using emotive language.

100+ Commemorative Speech Topics

Now that we know what a commemorative speech is, and its various types, let's finally discuss the many commemorative speech topics and their examples.

Honoring Family Members

Speeches are often given at family gatherings for loved ones. Some commemorative speech topics honouring family members are:

• Remembering the Strength of the Mother
• Wisdom of The Old: A tribute to Grandfathers
• Respecting the legacy of the Father
• My Sister, my first friend
• The Unseen Work of the Stay-at-Home Parent
• In Memory of A Beloved Aunt
• Honouring Grandmothers
• The father who stepped up
• A Tribute to Family's Legacy
• Celebrating Sibling Bond

These commemorative speech examples honour family members, they are perfect for occasions revolving around family.

Memory and Eulogy

Memory and eulogy topics are common. As already discussed, eulogy speeches are given when we remember someone who has died. The following commemorative speech examples can be helpful in an eulogy:

• Eulogy for a loved one gone too soon
• Celebrating a community elder
• To my pet, a part of my family
• A tribute to a life well-lived
• Mourning a favorite teacher
• A tribute to a victim of violence
• Respects for a neighbor who meant a lot
• A Eulogy for a Friend Gone Too Soon
• Celebrating the Life of a Community Elder
• Remembering a Local Hero

These speech topics were about honoring the dead, either someone close or a respected member of society. The upcoming section discusses historical speech topics.

On Historical and Social Issues

History might be the study of something that happened a long time ago, but the effects of these events can still be felt. The list below highlights some historical and social commemorative speech topics:

• Holocaust Remembrance: Stories of Survival
• Remembering Survivors of the Holocaust
• Indigenous Wisdom: Honoring the Traditions
• Commemorating Black History Month Through Art
• Tribute to the Civil Rights Movement
• Remembering 9/11: The Day a Country Stood Still
• Honoring those who lived Through the Great Depression
• Celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month
• The Importance of Immigrants in Building America
• Honoring the Suffragettes: The Pillars of the Feminist Movement

As observed from the topics above, history is vital. Students often are given assignments related to history which they struggle to do properly. So, for the convenience of such students, we provide our Assignment Writing Service to ease their stress and help them score high grades.

On Famous People

Fame and recognition are special. Popular people are often beloved by society for the ideas they embody. Below are the commemorative speech ideas on a few famous people.

• Remembering Nelson Mandela and his Legacy
• "I have a dream": Honoring Martin Luther King Jr
• Albert Einstein, his contributions and achievements
• The Legacy of Marie Curie, a Life of Perseverance
• Frida Kahlo: The Life and Times of the Artistic Genius
• Mahatma Gandhi: The Non-Violent Victor
• Steve Jobs: the Man behind Innovation
• Ludwig van Beethoven: the Deaf Musical Maestro
• Malala Yousufzai and her efforts for education of females
• Float like a butterfly sting like a bee: Remembering Muhammad Ali
• Pride, Prejudice and the Legacy of Jane Austen

Throughout this list we aimed to provide speech ideas on famous people and other celebrities. However, speeches are often reserved for personal or intimate settings like a wedding. Therefore, the section below provides some commemorative speech topics for such an occasion.

You may also read: 130+ Interesting Impromptu Speech Topics For Student

Wedding and Anniversary

A Wedding or marriage is the communion of two souls as per many cultures worldwide. Even beyond religion, it is something that feels inherently sacred. An occasion like a wedding or an anniversary deserves a speech, so some commemorative speech topics are listed below;

• Celebrating the Love between a Couple
• The Power of Love: How a couple persevered during times of struggle
• Expressing gratitude towards your other half
• Remembering fond moments from the journey of a couple
• What makes commitment so special
• Signifying a new beginning
• Celebrating a milestone in relationship
• The adventure that is marriage
• The role of friendship for a wedded couple
• Love as a source of inspiration

The list above highlights some speech topics and ideas for the occasion of a wedding or anniversary. However, as the section might highlight, for students, academic speech ideas might be more relevant.

Academic Setting

Schooling or academics are an integral part of anyone's journey. Thus, it is paramount that they have many opportunities for a speech. Below, some related commemorative speech topics are present.

• New Beginnings: A Tribute to Graduating Class
• The Pioneers of the Family: First-Generation College Graduates
• Thank you, Teachers! Tribute to the never-ending support of teachers
• Return to School: Adult Learners Worthy of Praise
• The Valedictorian: Quiet Steps towards Academic Excellence
• Our Unsung Heroes: Thanking the support staff for their help
• Could've Never Done It, if not for them: A Tribute to Parents
• Academic Ascent: From failing grades to acing tests
• Honouring the Dean: The Man Behind it All

Thus, if students require commemorative speech ideas related to academics, they can refer to the list above. If there is something students struggle with, it is authentic content. In an academic setting, the authenticity of the work matters a lot. Thus, to help students, we have prepared a Plagiarism Checker. Use it to check if your content is truly original! Moreover, the natural progression of academia suggests that the next section be related to work or career.

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Career Tributes

Career or employment provides people with both self-satisfaction and monetary benefits. So, to honour someone retiring or marking a professional milestone, we can give a speech. Some commemorative speech topics are presented below:

• Impact of a Colleague on Personal Performance
• Bidding Farewell to a Leader and Mentor
• Intern to Manager: Climbing the Career Ladder
• Celebrating Humble Excellence: A Quiet but Amazing Employee
• A Tribute to the Work Ethic of a Professional
• Behind the Desk: Knowing a Senior up-close
• Mentor: A Senior that Changed Our Career
• Not a Farewell: Retirement as the Start of Something New
• Honoring the Decades of Service of a Mentor
• End of an Era: The Final Day at Work of a Respected Senior

These speech topics can help prepare a speech for retirements, honouring seniors or celebrating a milestone. Discipline is essential for all types of work What better speech topics can be on discipline than commemorating patriotic events?

You may also read: 200+ Good Informative Speech Topics for Students

Patriotic Commemoration

These commemorative speech topics are related to and honour the national service and sacrifice of people in our army, who protect us from those who harm our national interests.

• What Makes an Efficient and Strong Leader: Henry Kissinger
• Remembering the Fallen of the Civil War
• The Survivor: In honour of a soldier who persevered
• Remembering the Veterans of the Vietnam War
• The Price of Freedom and Liberty is Often Paid in Blood
• Honesty as a means of Diplomacy
• Diplomacy as a continuation of War through Other Means
• Hospitality and how it changed the course of military history
• 4th of July: The Day par excellence for all Americans
• Role of Printing Press in Spreading Ideas of Freedom
• The Importance of Doctors on the Frontline

Patriotism is one's devotion to and support for one's country, and thus, as we saw in the topics, here are some famous speeches that relate to patriotism.

Funny Commemorative Speech Topics

To lighten the mood of our readers, here are some funny topics:

• The Skill of Procrastination: Celebrating the Last-Minute Heroes
• Ode to the Snooze Button: A Tribute to Extra Sleep
• The Glory of Leftovers: Honoring the Unsung Heroes of the Fridge
• Celebrating the Noble Art of Napping
• The Joy of Mismatched Socks: A Fashion Statement
• In Praise of the Remote Control: The Ultimate Couch Potato Tool
• The Beauty of Dad Jokes: Groan-Worthy but Loved
• A Tribute to the Office Coffee Maker: The True MVP
• Celebrating the Invention of the Weekend
• The Art of Multitasking: Or Trying To

These speech topics might be some of the funniest topics of all time. Students often find themselves wanting to write funny essays, although, they might struggle to do so. To aid such students, our AI Essay Writer provides 100% accurate content. On that note, these go into detail on how it takes just one person to bring change into the world.

On Personal Growth

Personal growth and related milestones are often celebrated through commemorative speeches. So, for students seeking to know speech topics on personal growth, the list below provides some brilliant commemorative speech topics.

• How do struggles shape a person's life?
• Self-discovery towards self-love
• The power of second-chances: You can always change everything
• The Path to prosperity is built with good intentions.
• How to tackle fear that gets in way of growth
• Destroy Self-Doubt and achieve excellence
• Learning to deal with change
• How is goal-setting important in life?
• Understanding the Abundance mindset and how it helps
• Gratitude: Manifesting opulence through being grateful

These were some speech topic ideas that highlight and celebrate personal growth milestones.

How Our Experts Help Write Your Commemorative Speech

Summing up, we saw how a commemorative speech plays an important role. We also read about various types of commemorative speeches. Plus, we provided students with 100+ commemorative speech topics. Our experts understand that students go through a lot of trouble, and this trouble is not just limited to specific things like speech topics. Studies overall, can often take a toll on the mental well-being of a scholar, so, to ease their stress our experts provide them with their assistance. All students would have to do is just reach out to us, and we will provide you with the speech topics, writing help and any other guidance a student might need.

Read More: 160+ Opinion Essay Topics That Sparks Critical Thinking