VE Day at 80: What's to come - and what you might have missed
- Published
VE Day marked the end of World War Two in Europe. Huge crowds took to the streets on 8 May 1945 to sing, dance and rejoice after nearly six years of war.
To mark the 80th anniversary, four days of commemorative events have been planned across the UK, from 5 to 8 May. Here's a round-up of what's happening on Thursday and the moments you might have missed.
1. Royals joined service of thanksgiving
The Royal Family attended a service of remembrance and thanksgiving in honour of the WW2 generation at Westminster Abbey on Thursday.
Back in 1945, short services were held every hour in the Abbey to mark the national holiday with about 25,000 people in attendance across the day.
Exactly 80 years later, the Abbey service was attended by hundreds of worshippers, including WW2 veterans, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, former UK prime ministers and the King and Queen.
The 2025 service included stories from people who lived through the war and VE Day, Winston Churchill's VE Day radio broadcast from 10 Downing Street and a call to prayer by Churchill's 10-year-old great-great-grandson Alexander.
When the service ended the Royal Family walked through the Abbey shaking hands and chatting with some of the veterans in attendance.
The King, Queen, Prince of Wales and Princess of Wales at Westminster Abbey
2. Two minutes of remembrance
At noon on Thursday, much of the UK fell silent for two minutes to remember those who fought in WW2. Government departments flew the union jack flag at full-mast.
Across the four days of commemorations, London's Cenotaph has become a focal point of quiet reflections. The monument, also draped in union jack flags, has offered a place for people to pay silent tribute to those who died in the war.
Members of poppy Scotland observe two minutes of silence in Glasgow
Union Jacks draped over the Cenotaph
3. Music to remember
On Thursday evening, a VE Day concert is taking place at London's Horse Guards Parade to conclude the national commemorations. Called VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember, it will be presented by Zoe Ball and feature stars such as Samantha Barks, Fleur East and John Newman. The King and Queen will be in the audience.
At the Royal Albert Hall, another concert, VE Day 80: The Party, external, is being held on Thursday evening. It will feature the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and is organised by SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.
And pubs in England and Wales will stay open late on Thursday to allow customers to raise a glass in their local until 01:00 BST.
4. Celebrations across the nation
Outside London, elaborate VE Day celebrations are planned across the country. To search for an event in your local area, visit your council website or use the ve-vjday80.go.uk, external.
In Staffordshire, the Royal British Legion is hosting an anniversary tea party and service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum, external on Thursday, bringing together one of the largest gatherings of WW2 veterans and their families on VE Day.
In Guernsey, VE Day is being marked by illuminating landmark buildings as well as a ceremonial beacon. The Channel Islands were occupied by the Germans from 1940 to 1945. To hear more about the island's history and liberation, listen to Sarah Montague, who's from Guernsey, on The World At One.
In Belfast, external, there will be guided tours of wartime landmarks. Over the weekend in Pontypool Wales, the Blaenavon Workmen's Hall, external, is hosting a Great Victory Bake off, a Knit for Victory event and a costume competition. On the UK's north coast at Banff Castle, external, a "full programme of music, dance and entertainment" is slated to celebrate Scotland's wartime and community spirt.
And in case you missed it...
5. Red Arrows in the skies
On Monday, more than 1,300 armed forces and members of the public took part in a military procession from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace. You can watch the parade on BBC iPlayer.
The event began in Parliament Square with actor Timothy Spall reciting extracts from Prime Minister Winston Churchill's famous VE Day speech. The procession travelled down Whitehall, past the Cenotaph, through Admiralty Arch and up the Mall.
Military servicemen and women line up in Parliament Square
World War Two veterans watched the event from the end of the Mall at the Queen Victoria Memorial, alongside the King, Queen and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The procession was followed by a flypast of current and historic military aircraft. Led by one of two operational Lancaster bombers as well as some of the most advanced combat aircraft, it also featured the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows, famous for their red, white and blue smoke trails in the sky.
The Red Arrows fly over Buckingham Palace
6. Royals on the balcony
Three generations of the Royal Family delighted crowds with their appearance at Monday's military parade.
King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and their three children watched the military parade at the Queen Victoria Memorial. Afterwards, the royals went to the Buckingham Palace balcony to greet the crowds gathered on the Mall and watch the military flypast.
The royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the VE Day 80 parade
The Royal Family also hosted a tea party for war veterans, their families and other members of the wartime generation in the palace gardens.
The 2025 VE Day commemorations are the first to take place without any of the royals who appeared on the balcony 80 years ago. In 1945, large crowds gathered outside Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse of King George VI, the Queen Mother, a young Queen Elizabeth II, and Princess Margaret.
Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, King George VI and Princess Margaret on the Buckingham Palace balcony
7. Street parties and get-togethers
On Monday, HMS Belfast hosted a private VE Day 80 anniversary event, followed by an "after-hours party" with drinks, music and special guests. The famous ship, now parked next to Tower Bridge, is the most significant surviving WW2 warship. It fired some of the opening shots on D-Day in 1944 and protected Arctic convoys during the war.
Street parties have also taken place up and down the country, with local communities encouraged to organise their own get-togethers to echo the celebrations from 80 years ago. Councils hosted events and some waived their usual road closure fee. Check your local council website to see what festivities are taking place in your area.
Families gather for a street party at Preston Park Museum in Stockton-on-Tees
8. Poppies cascade across Tower lawn
On Tuesday, the Tower of London opened an art installation of 30,000 ceramic poppies to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day. The flowers originally featured in Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, an artwork created to mark the centenary of WW1 and included 888,246 poppies at the castle.
Royal Historic Palaces (RHP) said the new installation of poppies "will pour across the lawn overlooked by the ancient White Tower, where the blood-red flowers will form a crater, with ripples flowing outwards".
Visitors can see the poppies as part of a general admission ticket to the Tower of London, although a small part will be visible from the public footpath. The exhibition runs until Armistice Day on 11 November.
The installation of poppies 'will resemble a wound at the heart of the Tower'
9. A moment of bright light
On Tuesday evening, dozens of buildings across the UK were lit up for VE Day 80. These included Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament.
For those who lived through VE Day, celebrations are often remembered as a moment of light after years of blackouts and darkness during the war.
London's Big Ben illuminated with a Union Jack flag to mark VE Day 80
How to follow the events on the BBC
The BBC is commemorating VE Day with a variety of special programmes.
At 20:00 BST on BBC One on Thursday, there will be a live concert, VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember, broadcast from the Horse Guards parade in London presented by Zoe Ball.
Available on BBC iPlayer are special editions of Saturday Kitchen, Antiques Roadshow, The One Show and Who Do You Think You Are? You can also watch the Westminster Abbey thanksgiving service held on Thursday morning on BBC iPlayer.
On BBC Sounds, you can listen to a special VE Day concert from Alexandra Palace hosted by Vernon Kay.
Online, BBC News is covering VE Day with a range of reporting including live pages of the commemorations and a rich selection of video interviews with people who lived through the war.
To read more about what's happening across the BBC, click here.