VE Day and VJ Day: Commemorations for the 80th anniversaries

Victory in Europe (VE Day), which takes place on 8 May, marks the Allied victory in Europe, while Victory over Japan (VJ Day), on 15 August, marks the end of the war in the Far East.

The early May Bank Holiday will see the beginning of events to mark “VE and VJ Day 80”, with a series of national and local events and activities planned for what the government says is “an opportunity for the nation to come together to honour and pay tribute to the Second World War generation from across the UK and Commonwealth”.

Veterans will attend the events and Britons are being urged to participate in the celebrations as it “might be our last chance to thank” surviving veterans.

The Cenotaph in London’s Whitehall, the nation’s focal point of remembrance, will be dressed in Union Flags for the duration of the four-day VE Day commemorations, echoing the 1920 unveiling of the monument to the fallen.

This briefing outlines the plans for the key commemorations for VE and VJ Day 80 and will be updated as any further events are announced.