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Celebrating VE Day

Published on 06 May 2020 08:42 AM

This Friday 8th May marks the 75th anniversary of the Victory in Europe Day, also known as VE Day.

Brenda, who is a part of the FAB group in Withywood marks VE Day every year. If it hadn’t been for lockdown, Brenda would have had friends and family over to celebrate this year with a picnic in her garden. “When it was the 25 years anniversary and I lived in Hartcliffe, we arranged a big street party, and when it was the 50 years anniversary we went to the beach for the day and celebrated there. I think it’s important to celebrate VE day, not to get complacent and forget.”

This year, Brenda has been working on her bunting to decorate the house. “I’ve got about 12 foot of bunting so far, plenty of red and white but I’m not sure how I’ll get the blue. I cut up one of the bedsheets because I couldn’t get out to get the materials from the shops.”

Brenda and her close friend, Brenda 2 (on account that she is 2 weeks younger) used to visit the local schools with WW2 memorabilia including an original ‘Evening Post’ newspaper covering the celebrations, replica ration books and toys from the era. Both women were evacuated as children and have enjoyed sharing their experiences with local primary school children for many years. Brenda 1 and 2 are hoping they will be able to continue doing this next year.

VE Day is a very meaningful day for many people in Britain, so we would like to share a few ideas on how to celebrate it while keeping in line with social distancing measures. 

Have a 'stay at home' street party! 


If you have contact with neighbours, ask them if they would like to have a street party to celebrate. You can decorate your front garden if you have one, or look out from your window. You can share a meal or a cup of tea at a specific time with neighbours have a safe-distance chat over the fence or across the street. 

Make some bunting 


There are several templates and instructions going around to make bunting. Here are a few we found: 

What to watch - TV and Online

Dedicated programmes will be broadcast to help you get involved in the celebrations.

  • 11am | BBC One | The Nation Remembers BBC One will lead a poignant two-minute silence to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
  • 2.45pm | BBC One | The Announcement of Victory Winston Churchill’s historic speech will also be broadcast – providing a fascinating insight into what the public will have heard on that significant day all those years ago.
  • 8pm | BBC One | The People’s Celebration Viewers can also tune in to a special programme on VE Day on BBC One, which will see some of the UK’s biggest stars (Katherine Jenkins, Beverley Knight), sing a rendition of the iconic ‘We’ll Meet Again’, by Vera Lynn. Throughout the show, we will hear from the real stars of the night, the people who still remember that historic evening and can tell us what it was like, first hand.

If you are doing something special, we would love to see it and share it! Send your stories to comms@ageukbristol.org.uk