| An exciting week of events is in store across Brighton & Hove to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE Day) on Thursday 8 May 2025.
On this day in 1945, an announcement was made by then Prime Minister Winston Churchill over the radio, ending the Second World War in Europe and allowing 3.8 million British men and 400,000 British women to return to their homes and families. Eighty years on, the nation will come together again to pay tribute to all those who fought for freedom and to celebrate the resilience and unity that have defined our country ever since. This year will be particularly poignant, as it will be one of the last opportunities to honour our living Second World War veterans, who fought so hard to preserve peace and freedom that enables our shared way of life. It is vital that we will learn from their stories and ensure they are told to generations to come, so that younger generations understand what they were fighting for and the horrors that conflicts on this scale can bring. VE Day is a very significant day for Brighton & Hove, which has a proud history of marking the occasion. Photos from 8 May 1945 show street parties taking place across Brighton & Hove and a parade past Hove Town Hall. Celebrations in the cityMonday 5 MayVE Day celebrations at the pierAll day, Brighton Palace Pier, Madeira Drive, Brighton BN2 1TW Brighton Palace Pier will host a range of activities – including 1940’s playlist on pier radio, old newsreel footage on a big screen during daytime, evening showing of black and white classic cinema and discounted fish and chips for service personnel and veterans. During the following weekend, the pier will be decorated in festive bunting and free entry will be offered to cadets and their families. Thursday 8 MayReflective evening ceremony at the Peace Statue9pm, Peace Statue, Kingsway, Brighton & Hove, BN3 2WN
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The ceremony will bring together the city’s cadet forces, uniformed services, and veterans for a short service and the lighting of a beacon. As darkness falls, our new beacon brazier will be lit at 9.30pm, joining hundreds of beacons across the UK in a national moment of remembrance and hope. The ceremony is being supported by the Royal British Legion, Brighton & Hove Buses, Sussex Police and Downs Junior School. Rev. David Hazell from St Helen’s Church, Hangleton will be giving a short service. The Royal British Legion will be fundraising at the ceremony and selling special VE Day 80 commemorative pins. Ed Wills, Managing Director for Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus, said: “We are delighted to be marking the historic 80th anniversary of VE Day, to celebrate 80 years of peace since the end of World War II in Europe. “On the day we will bring along a Coaster bus named after World War II hero Stephen Barnwell who in 2015 was given the Freedom of the town of Rots and in 2019 was honoured and awarded the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honeur by the French government and the Dutch Liberation Medal by the Netherlands government.” Friday 9 MayVE Day in Brighton & Hove and beyond – celebration at The Keep2pm to 4pm, The Keep, Woollards Way, Brighton BN1 9BP From barricades on Brighton beach to street parties throughout the UK, this event will look at how the hardships of the Second World War led to the celebrations and relief of VE Day. Enjoy a series of short talks by the Keep staff who will showcase some of its collections and immerse yourself in a recreated 1940s sitting room. Councillor Amanda Grimshaw, Deputy Mayor of Brighton & Hove, will introduce the event and reflect on the bombing raids inflicted on Brighton & Hove during the war. Kevin Bacon, Collections Senior Manager at the University of Sussex, will talk through the wartime experience of the city. Jessica Scantlebury, Mass Observation Archivist at the University of Sussex, will explore how Mass Observation’s extensive collection of Second World War diaries captured the thoughts and emotions of British people during the war and the celebrations of VE Day. There will also be a chance to see some original wartime archives, along with collections from Brighton & Hove Museums. Live music at the bandstand 2pm to 4pm, Brighton Beach Bandstand, Kings Rd, Brighton BN1 2PQ
Swing Field Unit featuring Miss Martha Miller will be performing live swing and dance music from the 1940s at Brighton & Hove’s historic seafront bandstand. The band will be performing in costume as a historically accurate group of musicians from the US 16th Infantry Regiment Band 1st Infantry Division alongside a United Service Organisations singer. Saturday 10 MayVE Day Family-friendly activities at Downs Junior School
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