8 May is VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day, the anniversary of Germany's surrender which effectively ended the Second World War in 1945. 2025 is a special year, as it marks 80 years since the original VE Day, and there are plenty of VE Day 80 events going on in London and beyond to mark this.
Traces of Belsen at the Wiener Holocaust Library
Wiener Holocaust Library's latest exhibition is Traces of Belsen, which marks 80 years since the liberation of the German concentration camp in which almost half of the 120,000 prisoners perished from starvation, disease or abuse. See photographs of Soviet Prisoners of War posted through the letterbox of a family living close to the camp in 1942, and a diary smuggled into the camp by the daughter of the Bloomsbury library's founder, Dr Alfred Wiener, revealing the hardships of everyday life for Jewish prisoners.
Traces of Belsen, Wiener Holocaust Library, free, 10 April-10 July 2025.
VE Day flypast in London
Four days of official VE Day 80 events take place 5-8 May, including:
- The Cenotaph on Whitehall draped in Union Jack flags (from 5 May)
- A military procession from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace, followed by a flypast of military aircraft including the Red Arrows (5 May - exact time TBC at time of writing)
- Historic landmarks across the UK illuminated (evening of 6 May)
- A concert given by the Parliament Choir inside Westminster Hall (7 May)
- A concert at Horseguards Parade, for 10,000 members of the public (8 May - though details of who can attend and how to get tickets haven't been released at time of writing)
Full details of these events on the government website.
VE Day 80 at Westminster Abbey
Beyond Victory is a special season of events taking place at Westminster Abbey throughout summer 2025 to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day. It begins with a special service at the Abbey on 8 May, reminiscent of the services of thanksgiving which were held every hour on the hour on 8 May 1945, which around 25,000 people attended. Though access to the service is by invitation only, we're expecting it to be televised.
That's followed by an evening with journalist and historian Max Hastings (3 June), delving into why remembrance is vital; a 1945-themed Abbey late (4 June); a walking tour led by Katie Wignall from Look Up London, looking at memorials in the area (dates in May and June); and various other events.
Is Remembrance still working? at the National Army Museum
Chelsea's National Army Museum brings together two grandchildren of high-ranking army officers from opposite sides of the Second World War, for a discussion about Remembrance.
Henry Montgomery, grandson of Field Marshal Bernard 'Monty' Montgomery, and Angela Findlay, granddaughter of General Karl von Graffen of the German Wehrmacht, along with National Army Museum historian Dr Daniel Cowling, reflect on their grandfathers' positions and actions in the war. They also compare the differences in the histories, legacies and remembrance cultures of the victors and the losers.
Is Remembrance still working? Free, 2 May 2025.
VE Day afternoon tea on board HMS Belfast
You'll need to book by 12 April if you want to enjoy afternoon tea on HMS Belfast on Saturday 3 May, served in the Officer's dining room. Hear a talk from an IWM guide about wartime food in the Royal Navy and how the officers aboard HMS Belfast would have dined.
That's followed by an afternoon tea, with a menu paying tribute to 1940s rationing and naval recipes, including bully beef and mustard sandwiches, and Ration Cake — an eggless low fat cake.
VE Day 80 afternoon tea on HMS Belfast, 3 May 2025.
The Tower Remembers: Poppies return to the Tower of London
As we reported back in March, thousands of poppies will be returned to the moat at the Tower of London, for a commemorative display lasting all summer. 30,000 of the 880,000+ ceramic poppies which made up the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation in 2014 will be arranged in the moat to resemble a 'wound' at the heart of the Tower, from which the poppies will form a crater, with ripples flowing outwards.
Tower Remembers at the Tower of London, 6 May-11 November 2025.
VE Day in the Gardens at Stephens House and Gardens, Finchley
Stephens House and Gardens in Finchley hosted huge VE Day celebrations in 1945, with thousands of locals turning up — resulting in this photo. This year, on Sunday of the bank holiday weekend, they're recreating the celebrations, with maypole dancing, war film screenings, and the Finchley Society displaying objects relating to wartime. Stick around until 6pm to be in a recreation of that photo — and if you can identify anyone in the original, organisers are keen to hear from you.
VE Day in the Gardens at Stephens House and Gardens, 4 May 2025. Find out more about the venue, including one of London's most obscure museums.
VE Day 80 choir performance at the Imperial War Museum
On bank holiday Monday, the Imperial War Museum hosts local London choirs for an afternoon of live performances of songs from the 1940s to the present day, to mark VE Day 80.
VE Day 80 choir performance, free, bank holiday Monday 5 May 2025.
VE Day 80: The Party at the Royal Albert Hall
Music, dancing and first-hand stories of the wartime generation feature in VE Day 80: The Party at the Royal Albert Hall. The RAF Squadronaires, part of the Central Band of the Royal Air Force, perform tunes from the 1940s, while the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra take on classical anthems, both joined by guest vocalists. Film and TV stars offer narrations of personal accounts of those who were there 80 years ago.
VE Day 80: The Party at the Royal Albert Hall, 8 May 2025.
VE Day 80 open day at The Poppy Factory in Richmond
Did you know that millions of Remembrance poppies are made at a factory in Richmond every year? It's open to the public for occasional tours, and for a special VE Day celebration on 8 May.
It's a chance to watch special VE Day presentations and view lesser-seen parts of the historic factory, while chatting to factory volunteers, and tucking into a slice of a special Victoria sponge. Music from the 1940s provides a soundtrack to the afternoon.
Advance tickets have sold out, but limited, unticketed entry will be available on the day itself, on a first come, first served basis. It's likely to be popular, so arrive early.
VE Day 80 open day, 8 May 2025.
VE Day 80 Experience on board HMS Wellington
HMS Wellington, which is moored on Victoria Embankment, begins its VE Day commemorations with a flag raising ceremony on the morning of 8 May, which everyone's welcome to watch from the river bank. Following this, the vessel is briefly open to the public, with tea, coffee and 'wartime' biscuits served on the Quarterdeck, raising money for the Wellington Trust, for the ongoing conservation and preservation of the ship.
The main event takes place on the afternoon of 8 May, when a party is thrown to commemorate those who served on HMS Wellington. There's a 1940s theme, with period dress encouraged, and live music from the decade performed by members of the Glenn Miller Orchestra Band.
The following day, a fish and chips lunch is served on board the Quarterdeck, with four sittings available to enjoy Thames views as you tuck into fish, chips, mushy peas, bread and butter, and a cup of tea.
VE Day 80 Experience, 8-9 May 2025.
Brushstrokes from the Front Lines exhibition at gallery@oxo
Paintings by trailblazing British war artist Doris Zinkeisen go on display for the first time, at a VE Day exhibition at gallery@oxo. She was a British Red Cross and St John Ambulance Brigade volunteer nurse during the Second World War, and many of her artworks depict things she witnessed, such as hospital wards, rescue missions during night air raids and the repatriation of prisoners of war.
Zinkeisen was one of the first artists — commissioned by the British Red Cross — to paint the horrors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp after it was liberated in April 1945, capturing both the relief work being undertaken, and the disturbing death, sickness and suffering of those who were held there in captivity.
Brushstrokes from the Front Lines exhibition at gallery@oxo, free, 8-11 May 2025.
Half term VE Day activities at London Transport Museum
Later on in May, London Transport Museum marks the VE Day anniversaries with a variety of family-friendly half term events and activities. There are 'Bun Special' storytelling sessions, teaching kids about the Tube trains reconfigured to serve tea in wartime (24 May-1 June), bunting making workshops (26-29 May), and the chance to meet 'Dorothy', a 1940s shop worker eager to support the war effort by working for London Transport (30 May-1 June). More info is promised soon on the LTM website.
From 28 May-1 June, there's also another chance to go on a literal deep dive of London's subterranean Second World War history, with a guided tour of Clapham South's deep-level shelters.
Find details of further VE Day 80 events in London and beyond on the official VE | VJ 80 website. There may be further special events to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ (Victory in Japan) Day in August.
