Commemorating VE | VJ Day 80 in Buckinghamshire

The announcement that the war had ended in Europe was broadcast to the British people over the radio late in the day on 7 May 1945. The BBC interrupted its scheduled programming with a news flash announcing that Victory in Europe Day would be a national holiday, to take place the following day (8 May). The 8 May 1945 saw celebrations all across the UK including a speech from the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, as well as the British Royal Family waving to cheering crowds from the balcony at Buckingham Palace, London.

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).

You can read more about the history of VE and VJ Day 1945 on the Imperial War Museum’s website.

In line with Buckinghamshire’s Armed Forces Covenant, the council will be commemorating the 80th anniversaries and supporting residents, organisations and community groups to hold events and street parties.

VE Day celebrations bring communities across the country together in peace and common friendship, and we hope that this year – the 80th anniversary of VE Day - will be no different.

While VE Day itself is Thursday 8 May, to recognise the significance of the 80th anniversary, the bank holiday on Monday 5 May has been officially dedicated to community celebrations. With this in mind, we will be waiving the associated fees to host an event on a public highway between Monday 5 May (Early May Bank Holiday) and Sunday 11 May 2025 inclusive.

If you are planning to recognise, celebrate or mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day in May 2025, please check out our useful information on how to organise a celebration event (including applying for road closures and other licenses) for VE Day's 80th anniversary.

On Thursday 8 May, flag raising ceremonies will be taking place in Aylesbury and Wycombe to commemorate VE Day. Led by Buckinghamshire Council’s Chairman and representatives from the Armed Forces, flags will be raised at 9am outside the Old Crown Court in Aylesbury and Queen Victoria Road council offices in High Wycombe.

The official VE VJ Day 80 website has some great ideas of how to commemorate the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day, including:

• Plan and host a Great British Food Festival on Monday 5th May
• Check out Our Shared Story - a collection of educational resources to support young people to engage with VE and VJ Day 80th commemorations, both inside and outside the classroom.
• Design and create your own VE and VJ Day decorations, such as colouring-in sheets, bunting and flags
• Join a local community group to plant flowers in communal gardens
• Discover and share your Second World War history
• Find and visit your local memorial

More information is available online including resources on how you can get involved in VE and VJ Day celebrations. You can also share your own local events with people in the county via the Bucks Online Directory.

There are also lots of ways you can commemorate VE Day at home.

• Enjoy a quintessentially British, garden picnic (weather dependent!) with those you live with. Make sure to include all the family favourites such as cucumber sandwiches and scones. (You could even have the age-old debate on how to pronounce “scone”.)
• Be inspired by life in the 1940s. A celebration isn’t a celebration without cake, so why not try and recreate some popular 1940s recipes? Or keep things simple and decorate cupcakes with red, white and blue icing. You could also learn the lyrics of popular 1940s songs, or create a VE Day 80 Spotify playlist to enjoy during your activities and celebrations.
• Join in The Nation’s Toast to the Heroes of WWII from the comfort of your home at 3pm on Friday 8 May. Raise a glass of a refreshment of your choice and pay tribute to the millions at home and abroad that gave so much to ensure we all enjoy and share the freedom we have today. The words to the toast are as follows: “To those who gave so much. We thank you.”
• And of course, you can always tune in and watch coverage of the celebrations across the UK on TV.

Community celebrations nationally are led by the Together Coalition and funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and are part of the UK Government’s national programme to commemorate the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day.

The 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day will be marked this year with a series of events and celebrations over four days that will share stories of the Second World War generation.

• Commemorations will kick off on Bank Holiday Monday (5 May), 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 a 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
• At 9.30pm, led by Pageantmaster, Bruno Peek CVO OBE OPR, beacons and Lamp Lights of Peace will shine across the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, and UK Overseas Territories—symbolising the enduring strength of our communities. This will coincide with a national sing-a-long of “I Vow to Thee, My Country” led by Chelsea Pensioner, colin Thackery.
• Service planned to mark VJ Day and the end of the war in the Far East in August

Read the full announcement from UK Government on plans to commemorate the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day.