CELEBRATE VE DAY

It's VE (Victory in Europe) Day this Friday 8th May and the Royal British Legion are calling on the nation to mark the 75th anniversary from home. It coincides with the early May Day bank holiday, making it the perfect time to get your household together for a celebration. The UK may be in lockdown, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still have a weekend of celebrations to mark this special moment in history.

Join your neighbours in a nationwide 'stay at home' street party.

DECORATE YOUR HOUSE, GARDEN OR BALCONY

Prepare the day by decorating your house, garden or balcony in red, white and blue.

TWO MINUTES SILENCE

At 11am people are encouraged to take part in a national moment of remembrance and pause for a two minute silence to honour the service and sacrifice of the second world war generation.

VE DAY LIVE STREAM

At 11.15am the Royal British Legion with be sharing a 45-minute live stream on their website below and the Legion's Facebook page.

Hosted by TV presenter Sonali Shah, the programme will feature contributions from social historian Julie Summers, and cook and influencer Melissa Helmsley.

The public will be sharing their stories and memories from those who served and sacrificed during the Second World War, as well as recognising the difficulties people are experiencing today.

HOST A PICNIC OR TEA PARTY

Hosting a VE Day party in lockdown may mean holding a picnic in your garden, balcony or doorstep. If the weather isn't kind you could always host an afternoon tea party indoors and invite extended family and friends to join you on a video call.

For some ideas on what you can make and enjoy on the day, please visit our VE Day recipe and cocktail pages below.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF VICTORY

Watch Sir Winston Churchill's historic speech on BBC 1 at 2.45pm. Providing a fascinating insight into what the public will have heard on that significant day all those years ago.

Miss the live broadcast watch it after in the link below.

THE PEOPLE'S CELEBRATION

Viewers can tune in to a special programme on BBC One at 8pm, which will see some of the UK’s biggest stars (Katherine Jenkins, Beverley Knight) entertaining us with popular songs from the era. Throughout the show, we will hear from the real stars of the night, the people who still remember that historic evening and can tell us what it was like, first hand.

In a fitting finale at 9pm, the nation is asked to unite for a very special rendition of We’ll Meet Again as a gesture of thanks to our veterans and in memory of our loved ones.

Queen's VE Day Message

The Queen will be giving a special address to the nation on BBC 1 at 9pm – which is the exact same time that her father, King George VI, spoke to the UK 75 years ago, on the actual VE Day.