Flypast and concert for VE Day 80th commemorations

Veterans beside a Spitfire as the countdown begins for VE Day events

There will be a four-day celebration of the 80th anniversary of VE Day, including a flypast, concert and a Westminster Abbey service, the government has announced.

The commemorations, marking 80 years since the end of World War Two in Europe, will run from the Bank Holiday Monday on 5 May, until 8 May.

Veterans will be joining the events, with only a shrinking number of that generation able to attend in what will be among the last major wartime commemorations involving those who served.

"People across society will be able to hear our veterans' stories first hand, to reflect and remember," Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said.

Revellers in London on VE Day in May 1945

And it would be an opportunity to "pay tribute to all those who served in the Second World War and to reflect on the values that they were fighting for".

Ruth Bourne, 98, who worked at the wartime code-breaking base in Bletchley Park, Bucks, will be taking part in the commemorations.

She remembers how the war had ended and VE Day celebrations were held on 8 May 1945, when the Nazi regime in Germany had been defeated.

"There was an electric buzz among everyone and eventually the royals came out and waved, and we cheered like crazy waving whatever we had on us," Ruth says.

"People climbed on every available lamppost, lit bonfires in Hyde Park and we sat around singing songs.

"Not many went to bed that night."

'British values'

Defence Secretary John Healey said: "The freedoms we enjoy today were defended by our remarkable Second World War generation.

"Our duty today is to safeguard the British values they sacrificed so much to uphold."

Tara Knights, of the Royal British Legion, said: "We will be running educational and community engagement programmes to encourage everyone to get involved in this momentous occasion."

Arts Council England will also be helping communities and local organisations hold commemorative events.

It is not yet known which international guests might be attending, including whether US President Donald Trump will be part of the ceremonies.

Last year, for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the then US President, Joe Biden, joined commemorations in Normandy, alongside King Charles III, the UK's then prime minister Rishi Sunak, and leaders including President Emmanuel Macron of France, and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.

The previous VE Day events, marking the 75th anniversary, were disrupted by the Covid pandemic.

For VE Day 80, there will be four days of events:

• 5 May: A military procession from Whitehall, in central London, to Buckingham Palace will be followed by a flypast of current and historical military aircraft, including the Red Arrows; the Cenotaph, on Whitehall, will be draped in union jacks, remembering those who died during World War Two; there will be a party on the warship HMS Belfast, on the Thames, and street parties around the country

• 6 May: An installation of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London will mark the anniversary, and historic landmarks across the UK will be lit up

• 7 May: A concert will be held in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster, in central London

• 8 May: A service will be held in Westminster Abbey and a concert, for 10,000 members of the public, at Horse Guards Parade, in central London

Later in the year, on 15 August, a service led by the Royal British Legion will be held at the National Memorial Arboretum, Staffs, to commemorate VJ Day, or Victory in Japan Day, and the end of the war.

Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis straight to your inbox every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.