Get involved

Together, through a series of national and local events, we will commemorate and celebrate the VE and VJ Day 80th anniversaries, while also showing our gratitude to the men, women and children who dedicated their lives to the war effort.

These commemorations will also be an opportunity to honour our living Second World War veterans. It will be a time for us to come together to listen to their stories and reflect on their values, service and selflessness across our nation, that led to the Allied victory.

As it was in 1945, the heart of the VE Day celebrations will be focused on commemorating in our communities with the 5th of May being dedicated to nationwide community celebrations.

Four days of celebrations will then mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe in May.

There are many ways you can get involved with VE and VJ Day. Here are some of the things you can do and ways you can find out more:

Stay up to date with VE and VE Day 80 commemorations

Stay up to date with updates on the VE and VJ Day 80 commemoration?(Required)
As the commemoration plans gather momentum, our email updates are the best method to keep up to date with new opportunities to be involved.
A table at a street party set with food

Plan and host a Great British Food Festival on Monday 5th May

Celebrate our freedom by sharing food together. This could be a big lunch with friends, a street party with neighbours, a food festival in your community or even a BBQ.

Teacher addressing classroom

Help the next generation learn about VE Day

The next generation is particularly important if we want the legacy of VE Day to live on. If you’re a school, you’re invited to take part in VE Day celebrations. There will be a full suite of resources dedicated to support.

Tour group at a Commonwealth War Grave
Looking through old photo albums

Share your Second World War history

In partnership with Imperial War Museums, Letters to Loved Ones will invite the younger generation to get involved by sharing letters from their VE and VJ Day generation ancestors.

On social media

Share your Second World War stories, family histories and messages of remembrance on social media. Use #VE80, #VJ80 and #Victory80 and follow the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on X, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn to join the conversation now.

Girl visiting a Commonwealth War Grave

Find your local memorial

You can use these resources to find out more about memorials near you:

  • IWM’s War Memorials Register allows you to search over 100,000 UK war memorials and the names of more than 1.5 million people. To search for your local war memorials type in the name of your village, town or city and click search. You can narrow down the results by using filters which include, location, war commemorated and memorial type.
  • Find your nearest Commonwealth War Graves – The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) cares for over 170,000 war graves across 13,000 locations in the UK and Northern Ireland. From beautifully maintained cemeteries reminiscent of those on the Western Front to dedicated war grave plots in public cemeteries and individual graves in local churchyards, all are searchable on the CWGC website.
  • You can also discover some of the personal stories behind the names and submit your own on CWGC’s For Evermore platform.

If you find out more about your family’s history or your local community’s contribution and would like to share what you’ve learned, use #VE80, #VJ80 and #Victory80 or email us at vevjday80@dcms.gov.uk

Kids colouring outdoors

VE and VJ Day events and in your home

Use our dedicated toolkit for resources and branding for your activity, including the official logos. We’ll be sharing social media graphics, posters to print and personalise and fun worksheets for the kids to colour in.

Germany Quits headlines on newspapers

Learn more about the history of VE & VJ Day

  • The Royal British Legion’s Teaching Remembrance Learning programme supports young people across the UK to learn about who, why and how we remember with free resources and online events for young people and their teachers, youth groups and families. In 2025, the RBL will be helping young people to remember VE and VJ Day with a special online exploration of stories from the end of the Second World War, Q&A session and a range of supporting learning resources for Primary, Secondary and Further Education pupils.
  • Browse UK Parliament’s WWII historical and educational resources as well as information about Parliamentarians and the roles they played in the Second World War.