Best VE Day celebrations across the UK - Red Arrows to royals and street parties

Metro

03-05-2025

Street parties, barbecues and community gatherings will be held across the country as the nation marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day.
Thousands of people are expected to line the streets of central London as events take place all next week to celebrate the end of World War II in Europe.
The celebrations are honouring the moment Allied forces accepted Germany's surrender on May 8, 1945.
The national festivities will start on Bank Holiday Monday with a military procession from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace.
It will feature a display of pageantry by the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, showcasing ceremonial traditions of the British Armed Forces.
The procession will begin in Parliament Square, with a recital of
Winston Churchill's famous VE Day speech at the moment Big Ben strikes noon. A Red Arrows flypast will take place over the Mall at 1.45pm, with the King and Queen, other members of the royal family and prime minister Keir Starmer in attendance.
National landmarks will be illuminated for the occasion and the Cenotaph will be draped in Union flags for the first time since it was unveiled by George V in 1920. An installation of 30,000 ceramic poppies will be displayed in the Tower of London, which was bombed during the Blitz.
Across the country people will also be gathering together in streets, gardens, town halls, clubs and pubs, similar to how the nation marked the end of nearly six years of war.
A two-minute silence will be observed at all government buildings at noon on Thursday, May 8, for what is officially Victory in Europe Day.
Monday May 5
VE Day celebrations will begin in Parliament Square, where an actor will read out words from Winston Churchill's famous victory speech.
A poignant moment will follow, when the Commonwealth War Graves Torch for Peace will be passed from a young person to a 100-year-old Second World War veteran.
Union Jacks will be draped over the Cenotaph and a military procession will take place from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace, via the Mall.
This procession will be watched by the King and Queen, along with other members of the royal family and the prime minister.
Modern fighter jets will take part in the fly past that follows alongside historic Second World War-era aircraft.
The event will culminate in the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows roaring overhead, leaving behind them red, white, and blue smoke.
Street parties will be held across the country on the bank holiday.
The King and Queen themselves will welcome veterans and members of the wartime generation at Buckingham Palace for a tea party.
There will also be an afternoon street party and an evening do at HMS Belfast, the most significant surviving Second World War warship.
Festivities across the country include an open-air music festival in Witton Park, Blackburn, as well as a VE Day picnic in the Shropshire town of Caven Arms.
The Wrentham Brass Band will also be performing Second World War music in Norfolk.
Winston Churchill's family home, Chartwell in Kent is planning lots of fun activities and music to celebrate his role in the momentous day.
Tuesday May 6
The moving display of 30,000 ceramic poppies at the Tower of London, first installed to mark the centenary of the First World War in 2014, will return to the historic fortress.
The Queen will view the poppies when they go on display, with a small part of the installation visible for free to the public.
Historic landmarks across the country will also be lit up on the Tuesday evening.
Wednesday May 7
A Victory in Europe Day Anniversary Concert will be held in Westminster Hall at the Houses of Parliament, hosted by the Parliament Choir.
The performance will mark 80 years since a newsflash informed the nation that the next day would be VE Day.
Thursday May 8
This is the actual VE Day. A service will take place at Westminster Abbey, which will serve as both 'an act of shared remembrance and a celebration of the end of the war'.
A two minutes silence will be held across the country, led by UK government buildings and departments.
A private tea party will also be held for Second World War veterans and their families by the British Legion.
There's a good chance a street party will be taking place near you. Those with country parks, gardens, community halls and quiet roads are asked to unfold the chairs and tables and host a party.
And expect a lot of bell ringing, too. Cathedrals have been asked to ring their bells at 6.30pm in a united call to 'work for peace', explained Revd Jo Kelly-Moore, chair of the Association of English Cathedrals.
A concert will also take place at Horseguards Parade from 8pm to mark the end of commemorations.
More than 12,500 people will attend the event, including the King and Queen.
Pubs will also be allowed to stay open for an extra two hours, allowing revellers to celebrate the end of celebrations at 1am on the Friday morning.
Capping off May 8, 2,500 beacons will be set alight across the UK.
The fires will be lit around 9pm at focal points at various points in the country, including at London's Tower Bridge.
Friday August 15 to Sunday 11 May More Trending
While there are no more official events being organised by the government, many local and community events are still scheduled for Friday and the weekend after VE Day.
A 1940s style dance will be roaring away in Wouldham, Rochester, while The Royal Irish Regiment will be holding a lively concert in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland on 10 May.
On the same day, the Veterans Memorial Garden in Glasgow wifollowed by a veterans parade. This will finish at the Lincoln Inn where there will be a buffet, music and raffle.
In the Yorkshire village of Catton, there will be a vintage-themed day featuring Second World War memorabilia and vehicles. A similar event is also set to take place in Keelby village hall, in Lincolnshire.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [e-mail].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: What I Own: At 26, I own two homes — I didn't see my flat in person before buying it
MORE: Major London Tube station finally becomes step-free after reviving historic feature
MORE: Gal Gadot 'evacuated from London movie set' after pro-Palestine campaigners halt filming