80th Anniversary of VE and VJ Days
- Four day OF celebrations will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe in May.
- Commemorations will kick off on Bank Holiday Monday, which will see the Cenotaph dressed in Union flags, a Military procession and a flypast in London
- Street parties will also be held across the country and ceremony on HMS Belfast will kick off community celebrations
- 8 May will see a service of remembrance and thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey followed by a concert
- Service planned to mark VJ Day and the end of the war in the Far East in August
The 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day will be marked this year with a series of events and celebrations that will share stories of the Second World War generation.
Victory in Europe (VE Day), which takes place on 8 May, marks the Allied victory in Europe. The news resulted in millions celebrating the end of the war, with street parties, dancing and singing across the country. The war in the Far East did not end until 15 August 1945 with VJ Day (Victory Over Japan).
The commemorations will pay tribute to the millions of people across the UK and Commonwealth who served in the Second World War, telling the stories of those who fought, the children who were evacuated, and those who stepped into the essential roles on the Home Front.
The early May Bank Holiday will see the beginning of the events to mark VE and VJ Day 80 with events planned including a Military procession and flypast of current and historic military aircraft, the return of the poppies to the Tower of London and a nationwide call for families to delve into their lofts and discover their own Second World War stories:
Monday 5 May:
- To ensure the commemorations act as a point of remembrance of the millions who lost their lives in the conflict as well as a celebration of peace, the commemorations will begin in Whitehall. The Cenotaph, the nation’s focal point of remembrance, will be dressed in Union Flags for the duration of the four day commemorations, echoing the 1920 unveiling of the monument to the fallen. From Monday 5 May, it will provide a focal point for the commemorations and a place to pay silent tribute to all those who died, both at home and abroad, during the Second World War.
- To honour and remember those who fell during the Second World War, there will be a Military procession from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace followed by a flypast of current and historic military aircraft including the famous Red Arrows.
- The VE Day 80 commemorations will continue with a street party on HMS Belfast. HMS Belfast fired some of the opening shots on D Day in 1944 and protected Arctic convoys during the Second World War and is the most significant surviving Second World War warship.
- Street parties, barbecues and community get togethers, supported by ideas and inspiration from The Together Coalition and The Big Lunch, will be held by communities across the country, echoing the celebrations 80 years ago as the population welcomed the end of the war.
Tuesday 6 May:
- An installation of ceramic poppies will return to the Tower of London to mark the anniversary. Nearly 30,000 of the original poppies from the 2014 display at the Tower, which commemorated the centenary of the First World War, will be displayed in a new installation within the walls of the fortress. This poppies installation will resemble a ‘wound’ at the heart of the Tower, which was itself bombed during the Blitz and still bears some of those scars today. It will mark and reflect on the sacrifices made by so many during the Second World War.
- Historic landmarks across the UK will be lit up this evening.
Wednesday 7 May:
- On the evening of the 7th May 1945, a newsflash announced that the following day would be Victory in Europe Day. To commemorate this important moment in the nation’s history, the Parliament Choir will host a Victory in Europe Day Anniversary Concert in the famous Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster, eighty years to the day that victory was declared.
Thursday 8 May:
- A service will take place at Westminster Abbey that will be both an act of shared remembrance and a celebration of the end of the war. It will be a moment to give thanks and to honour a generation that showed extraordinary courage and resilience.
- The events will conclude with a concert at the historic Horse guards Parade to finish the VE Day 80 commemorations in a celebratory tone, echoing how the nation reacted to the news 80 years before. With more than 10,000 members of the public in attendance, the concert will feature stars of stage and screen and military musicians and tell the story of victory and the legacy of the Second World War in Europe.
Friday 15 August:
- To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in the Far East, a service will take place at the National Memorial Arboretum. In partnership with the government, the Royal British Legion will lead the nation in honouring and remembering those who fought and died during the War in the Far East.
- A dedicated interactive website has been launched with latest information and ways to get involved at ve-vjday80.gov.uk
