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Sky News
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
VE Day latest: King's message to veterans at palace; watch Prince Louis tease brother
Poppy installation to concerts: What's happening for the rest of the week? Today was the start of four days of celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day on Thursday. Here's how the rest of the week is shaping up: Tuesday Tomorrow an installation of 30,000 ceramic poppies returns to the Tower of London. The ornaments, which will be viewed by the Queen when they go on display, were made in 2014 as part of the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation, which marked 100 years since Britain's involvement in the First World War. The latest installation, overseen by designer Tom Piper, features tens of thousands of the original ceramic poppies on loan from the Imperial War Museum, as a way to "mark and reflect on the sacrifices made by so many during the Second World War". A small part of the poppy installation will be visible to the public for free, with the main installation located inside the grounds of the Tower. It will remain in place until 11 November to mark Armistice Day. Historic landmarks across the UK will also be lit up in the evening, which you can watch on Sky News with live helicopter shots capturing the scenes. Wednesday In the evening, an anniversary concert takes place in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster. It will mark 80 years since a newsflash told the nation that the next day would be known as Victory Day. The Parliament Choir will perform pieces of classic music from across Europe and America, with the addition of special guests. Thursday Events planned to mark VE Day itself kick off with a service in Westminster Abbey, with 1,800 people invited to attend including the King and Queen, veterans, politicians and charities. At midday, a two-minute silence will be held across all UK government buildings and departments, with other organisations invited to follow suit. In the afternoon, the Royal British Legion, a UK-based charity that supports veterans, will host a private tea party for Second World War veterans and their families. It will take place at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire and aims to include veterans who live in the North of England and cannot travel to events in London. The tea party is expected to attract a large crowd, if not the largest group of Second World War veterans at a VE Day event, and you can watch live coverage of it on Sky News. In County Fermanagh, there will be a parade of 80 pipers and drummers along Church Street in Enniskillen. Pubs will also be allowed to stay open for an extra two hours on 8 May, meaning people will be able to raise a glass until 1am to mark the end of the four-day celebration. Concerts and film premiere The government's VE Day programme of events concludes with a concert at Horse Guards Parade between 8pm and 10pm on 8 May. The concert will feature "stars of the stage and screen" as well as performances from military musicians, readings and poignant moments that will tell the story of VE Day and the nation's reaction to the end of the Second World War. More than 12,500 people are expected to attend the event, including the King and Queen, as well as 2,500 young people made up of Duke of Edinburgh ambassadors, Commonwealth scholars and representatives from youth groups. Meanwhile, from 7.30pm at the Royal Albert Hall, the Armed Forces charity SSAFA will host VE Day 80: The Party. This will feature The RAF Squadronaires, part of the central band of the Royal Air Force, who will perform 1940s songs, and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, which will perform the nation's best-loved classical anthems. A new short film by the National Theatre will also be released on 8 May. The Next Morning, written by stage and screenwriter James Graham, will feature award-winning actors Julian Glover, Sian Phillips, and Joseph Mydell and will take viewers through a series of stories exploring intergenerational perspectives on the end of the war. Bringing the day to an end, 2,500 beacons will be lit across the UK. The fires will be ignited around 9pm, including on the River Thames at London's Tower Bridge, in Folkstone, Kent, Bridport in Dorset, Fairhaven Lake and Gardens in Lancashire and Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Friday to Sunday Community events around the country continue into the weekend, though these have not been officially organised by the government. On Friday night, there will be a 1940s style dance in Wouldham, Rochester, with a hog roast, a 1940s wartime band and authentic Second World War jeep. On 10 May in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, there will be a community concert by the band, bugles, pipes and drums of The Royal Irish Regiment at St Macartin's Cathedral. In Glasgow on 10 May, there will be a church service at the Veterans Memorial Garden on Baldwin Avenue, followed 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.
Sky News
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
VE Day latest: King's message to veterans at palace tea party; Prince Louis caught teasing brother; watch flypast roar overhead
Poppy installation to concerts: What's happening for the rest of the week? Today was the start of four days of celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day on Thursday. Here's how the rest of the week is shaping up: Tuesday Tomorrow an installation of 30,000 ceramic poppies returns to the Tower of London. The ornaments, which will be viewed by the Queen when they go on display, were made in 2014 as part of the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation, which marked 100 years since Britain's involvement in the First World War. The latest installation, overseen by designer Tom Piper, features tens of thousands of the original ceramic poppies on loan from the Imperial War Museum, as a way to "mark and reflect on the sacrifices made by so many during the Second World War". A small part of the poppy installation will be visible to the public for free, with the main installation located inside the grounds of the Tower. It will remain in place until 11 November to mark Armistice Day. Historic landmarks across the UK will also be lit up in the evening, which you can watch on Sky News with live helicopter shots capturing the scenes. Wednesday In the evening, an anniversary concert takes place in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster. It will mark 80 years since a newsflash told the nation that the next day would be known as Victory Day. The Parliament Choir will perform pieces of classic music from across Europe and America, with the addition of special guests. Thursday Events planned to mark VE Day itself kick off with a service in Westminster Abbey, with 1,800 people invited to attend including the King and Queen, veterans, politicians and charities. At midday, a two-minute silence will be held across all UK government buildings and departments, with other organisations invited to follow suit. In the afternoon, the Royal British Legion, a UK-based charity that supports veterans, will host a private tea party for Second World War veterans and their families. It will take place at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire and aims to include veterans who live in the North of England and cannot travel to events in London. The tea party is expected to attract a large crowd, if not the largest group of Second World War veterans at a VE Day event, and you can watch live coverage of it on Sky News. In County Fermanagh, there will be a parade of 80 pipers and drummers along Church Street in Enniskillen. Pubs will also be allowed to stay open for an extra two hours on 8 May, meaning people will be able to raise a glass until 1am to mark the end of the four-day celebration. Concerts and film premiere The government's VE Day programme of events concludes with a concert at Horse Guards Parade between 8pm and 10pm on 8 May. The concert will feature "stars of the stage and screen" as well as performances from military musicians, readings and poignant moments that will tell the story of VE Day and the nation's reaction to the end of the Second World War. More than 12,500 people are expected to attend the event, including the King and Queen, as well as 2,500 young people made up of Duke of Edinburgh ambassadors, Commonwealth scholars and representatives from youth groups. Meanwhile, from 7.30pm at the Royal Albert Hall, the Armed Forces charity SSAFA will host VE Day 80: The Party. This will feature The RAF Squadronaires, part of the central band of the Royal Air Force, who will perform 1940s songs, and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, which will perform the nation's best-loved classical anthems. A new short film by the National Theatre will also be released on 8 May. The Next Morning, written by stage and screenwriter James Graham, will feature award-winning actors Julian Glover, Sian Phillips, and Joseph Mydell and will take viewers through a series of stories exploring intergenerational perspectives on the end of the war. Bringing the day to an end, 2,500 beacons will be lit across the UK. The fires will be ignited around 9pm, including on the River Thames at London's Tower Bridge, in Folkstone, Kent, Bridport in Dorset, Fairhaven Lake and Gardens in Lancashire and Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Friday to Sunday Community events around the country continue into the weekend, though these have not been officially organised by the government. On Friday night, there will be a 1940s style dance in Wouldham, Rochester, with a hog roast, a 1940s wartime band and authentic Second World War jeep. On 10 May in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, there will be a community concert by the band, bugles, pipes and drums of The Royal Irish Regiment at St Macartin's Cathedral. In Glasgow on 10 May, there will be a church service at the Veterans Memorial Garden on Baldwin Avenue, followed 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.
Sky News
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
VE Day latest: King hosts veterans for tea at Buckingham Palace after royals watch flypast
Today was the start of four days of celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day on Thursday. Here's how the rest of the week is shaping up: Tuesday Tomorrow an installation of 30,000 ceramic poppies returns to the Tower of London. The ornaments, which will be viewed by the Queen when they go on display, were made in 2014 as part of the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation, which marked 100 years since Britain's involvement in the First World War. The latest installation, overseen by designer Tom Piper, features tens of thousands of the original ceramic poppies on loan from the Imperial War Museum, as a way to "mark and reflect on the sacrifices made by so many during the Second World War". A small part of the poppy installation will be visible to the public for free, with the main installation located inside the grounds of the Tower. It will remain in place until 11 November to mark Armistice Day. Historic landmarks across the UK will also be lit up in the evening, which you can watch on Sky News with live helicopter shots capturing the scenes. Wednesday In the evening, an anniversary concert takes place in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster. It will mark 80 years since a newsflash told the nation that the next day would be known as Victory Day. The Parliament Choir will perform pieces of classic music from across Europe and America, with the addition of special guests. Thursday Events planned to mark VE Day itself kick off with a service in Westminster Abbey, with 1,800 people invited to attend including the King and Queen, veterans, politicians and charities. At midday, a two-minute silence will be held across all UK government buildings and departments, with other organisations invited to follow suit. In the afternoon, the Royal British Legion, a UK-based charity that supports veterans, will host a private tea party for Second World War veterans and their families. It will take place at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire and aims to include veterans who live in the North of England and cannot travel to events in London. The tea party is expected to attract a large crowd, if not the largest group of Second World War veterans at a VE Day event, and you can watch live coverage of it on Sky News. In County Fermanagh, there will be a parade of 80 pipers and drummers along Church Street in Enniskillen. Pubs will also be allowed to stay open for an extra two hours on 8 May, meaning people will be able to raise a glass until 1am to mark the end of the four-day celebration. Concerts and film premiere The government's VE Day programme of events concludes with a concert at Horse Guards Parade between 8pm and 10pm on 8 May. The concert will feature "stars of the stage and screen" as well as performances from military musicians, readings and poignant moments that will tell the story of VE Day and the nation's reaction to the end of the Second World War. More than 12,500 people are expected to attend the event, including the King and Queen, as well as 2,500 young people made up of Duke of Edinburgh ambassadors, Commonwealth scholars and representatives from youth groups. Meanwhile, from 7.30pm at the Royal Albert Hall, the Armed Forces charity SSAFA will host VE Day 80: The Party. This will feature The RAF Squadronaires, part of the central band of the Royal Air Force, who will perform 1940s songs, and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, which will perform the nation's best-loved classical anthems. A new short film by the National Theatre will also be released on 8 May. The Next Morning, written by stage and screenwriter James Graham, will feature award-winning actors Julian Glover, Sian Phillips, and Joseph Mydell and will take viewers through a series of stories exploring intergenerational perspectives on the end of the war. Bringing the day to an end, 2,500 beacons will be lit across the UK. The fires will be ignited around 9pm, including on the River Thames at London's Tower Bridge, in Folkstone, Kent, Bridport in Dorset, Fairhaven Lake and Gardens in Lancashire and Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Friday to Sunday Community events around the country continue into the weekend, though these have not been officially organised by the government. On Friday night, there will be a 1940s style dance in Wouldham, Rochester, with a hog roast, a 1940s wartime band and authentic Second World War jeep. On 10 May in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, there will be a community concert by the band, bugles, pipes and drums of The Royal Irish Regiment at St Macartin's Cathedral. In Glasgow on 10 May, there will be a church service at the Veterans Memorial Garden on Baldwin Avenue, followed 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.
BBC News
07-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
VE Day 80th anniversary: How is it being marked around the UK?
VE Day stands for Victory in Europe day, a key event at the end of WW2. On 8 May 1945 people all over the world celebrated Germany's surrender, which had been agreed the previous day. It comes ahead of VJ Day - Victory in Japan Day - on 15 August which commemorates the end of the year will be VE Day's 80th anniversary, with lots of exciting events planned from Monday 5 until the anniversary itself on Thursday 8 May. As events to mark the 75th anniversary were disrupted by the Covid pandemic, the celebrations will be even more special this year - here's a taster of what you can expect to see. 5 May A military procession is planned to take place from Whitehall, in central London, to Buckingham Palace. It will be followed by a flypast of current and historical military aircraft, including the famous Red Arrows. The union flag will be placed on the Cenotaph, on Whitehall - a national war memorial dedicated to those who died in the First and Second World Wars and other conflicts are also due to be street parties and community gatherings across the country, including on board warship HMS Belfast in London! 6 May Did you know poppies are a symbol of remembrance? They are often worn to show respect for those who died as part of wars and other conflicts. At the Tower of London a special display of ceramic poppies is set to be installed. The new display 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. Poppies will pour across the lawn overlooked by the ancient White Tower, where the red flowers will form a crater, with ripples flowing landmarks across the UK will be lit up, so there might even be one near you, you could go and see. 7 May On the evening of the 7 May 1945, people received a very special newsflash telling them that the next day would be Victory in Europe Day. To commemorate this important historic moment, there will be a Victory in Europe Day Anniversary Concert in the famous Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster in central London. The Parliament Choir will be singing so you might see some famous faces from the world of UK politics as a part of it, and although it's not open to the public its likely to be on TV. 8 May A service will be held in Westminster Abbey as both a service of remembrance for those who died and a celebration of the end of the events will be brought to a close with a huge concert at the historic Horse Guards Parade and 10,000 members of the public will be able to get tickets. As well as musicians, there will be theatre and film stars to help tell the story of victory and the impact of the Second World War in elsewhere in London, at the Royal Albert Hall, the party atmosphere will continue with music, dancing and first-hand stories from people who were alive for VE back all the way back in 1945. Newsround will be in the thick of all the action so watch our bulletins to find out more.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Will the UK get a new bank holiday for the 80th VE Day celebrations?
Later this year, the UK will be marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two. Four days of celebrations are planned for this historic VE Day, beginning as part of the early May Bank Holiday. The government has announced that the events will see a military procession and flypast in London, as the Cenotaph is draped in Union flags. Meanwhile, street parties are set to be held across the country over all four days. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: 'The 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day are important opportunities for communities to come together to pay tribute to all those who served in the Second World War and to reflect on the values that they were fighting for.' The celebrations kick off Monday 5 May, as the Red Arrows take to London's skies, a street party begins on HMS Belfast, and communities across the country are invited to spend their bank holiday marking the occasion. The next day, an installation of nearly 30,000 ceramic poppies with be placed in an installation at the Tower of London, with landmarks all over the UK lit up in the evening. On 7 May, the Parliament Choir will host a Victory in Europe Day Anniversary Concert in the Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster – marking 80 years since the newsflash of victory in Europe. Finally, on Thursday 8 May, a service will take place at Westminster Abbey followed by a concert at the Horseguards Parade which over 10,000 people are expected to attend. Despite the four days of celebrations that are planned, there are not set to be any extra bank holiday dates announced. Because of this, the bank holiday dates for 2025 will remain the same as in previous years. These are: Good Friday - April 18 Easter Monday - April 21 Early May - May 5 Spring - May 26 Summer - August 25 Christmas Day - December 25 Boxing Day - December 26 The decision was confirmed by Downing Street in November, with a spokesperson for the prime minister saying that the celebrations 'do not include an additional bank holiday.' They added: "We we will look to use the existing May Day bank holiday for commemorative events. We are committed to commemorating these nationally important occasions appropriately, which is why we have announced more than £10m to mark them.' The reason for the decision is because there is an 'important balance to be struck,' he said, given the 'impacts for businesses, services and the broader economy, which need to be taken into account.'
