VE DAY 80 – HOW THE NATION WILL REMEMBER FALLEN HEROES AND CELEBRATE THE PEACE AFTER SIX YEARS OF WAR on 8th MAY 2025

On Thursday 8th May 2025 the nation will come together to remember the millions that paid the ultimate sacrifice fighting and securing the freedom we all enjoy today. 

From early morning when the sun rises to evening as night descends, church bells will ring out, special flags will be flown, town criers will proclaim the victory, the haunting sound of bagpipes will fill the air and, in a final gesture of homage, beacons and Lamp Lights of Peace will be lit to signify the light that emerged from the darkness of war. 

Bruno Peek CVO OBE OPR Pageant master of VE DAY 80 said; “In order to celebrate the eighty years of peace and freedom given to us by the bravery and ultimate sacrifice of so many during WWII as a whole, hundreds of Town Criers will undertake the VE Day Proclamation at 8am, Flags will be raised, Church Bells will be rung, and over one thousand Beacons and several hundred Lamp Lights of Peace will be lit at 9.30pm across the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories on May 8, 2025, with the flames from the Beacons and Lamps representing the ‘light of peace’ that emerged from the darkness of war, and once lit for this occasion, the Lamps can be re-lit again at 11am on Remembrance Sunday for many years to come in tribute to the many millions that sacrificed their lives during WWII.”

More detailed plans for VE Day 80 – May 8, 2025 – can be found on the website – www.VEday80.org.uk 

VE DAY 80 PROCLAMATION at 8am May 8, 2025

Jane Smith, Principal International Town Crier said – “The Guild and its members are enormously honoured to have been asked by Bruno Peek, Pageant master of VE Day 80 to support the VE Day 80 Commemoration by undertaking the Proclamation at 8am on May 8, 2025, recognising a hugely significant anniversary event in the calendar, alongside the Guilds from North America, Australasia and Europe who will also be undertaking the reading of the VE Day 80 Proclamation throughout their countries too.”