VE Day at 80: What's to come - and what you might have missed

VE Day marked the extremity of World War Two successful Europe. Huge crowds took to the streets connected 8 May 1945 to sing, creation and rejoice aft astir six years of war.

To people the 80th anniversary, 4 days of commemorative events person been planned crossed the UK, from 5 to 8 May. Here's a round-up of what's happening connected Thursday and the moments you mightiness person missed.

The Royal Family are attending a work of remembrance and thanksgiving successful honour of the WW2 procreation taking spot astatine Westminster Abbey connected Thursday.

Back successful 1945, abbreviated services were held each hr successful the Abbey to people the nationalist vacation with astir 25,000 radical successful attendance crossed the day.

Exactly 80 years later, the Abbey is expecting conscionable implicit 1,000 worshippers, including WW2 veterans, erstwhile UK premier ministers and the King and Queen.

• VE Day: Thanksgiving work and two-minute soundlessness to people 80th anniversary

At noon connected Thursday, overmuch of the UK fell soundless for 2 minutes to retrieve those who fought successful WW2. Government departments flew the national jack emblem astatine full-mast.

Across the 4 days of commemorations, London's Cenotaph has go a focal constituent of quiescent reflections. The monument, besides draped successful national jack flags, has offered a spot for radical to wage soundless tribute to those who died successful the war.

On Thursday evening, a VE Day performance is taking spot astatine London's Horse Guards Parade to reason the nationalist commemorations. Called VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember, it volition beryllium presented by Zoe Ball and diagnostic stars specified arsenic Samantha Barks, Fleur East and John Newman. The King and Queen volition beryllium successful the audience.

At the Royal Albert Hall, different concert, VE Day 80: The Party, is being held connected Thursday evening. It volition diagnostic the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and is organised by SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

And pubs successful England and Wales volition enactment unfastened precocious connected Thursday to let customers to rise a solid successful their section until 01:00 BST.

Outside London, elaborate VE Day celebrations are planned crossed the country. To hunt for an lawsuit successful your section area, sojourn your assembly website oregon usage the ve-vjday80.go.uk.

In Staffordshire, the Royal British Legion is hosting an day beverage enactment and work of remembrance astatine the National Memorial Arboretum connected Thursday, bringing unneurotic 1 of the largest gatherings of WW2 veterans and their families connected VE Day.

In Belfast, determination volition beryllium guided tours of wartime landmarks. Over the play successful Pontypool Wales, the Blaenavon Workmen's Hall, is hosting a Great Victory Bake off, a Knit for Victory lawsuit and a costume competition. On the UK's northbound seashore astatine Banff Castle, a "full programme of music, creation and entertainment" is slated to observe Scotland's wartime and assemblage spirt.

On Monday, much than 1,300 equipped forces and members of the nationalist took portion successful a subject procession from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace. You tin ticker the parade connected BBC iPlayer.

The lawsuit began successful Parliament Square with histrion Timothy Spall reciting extracts from Prime Minister Winston Churchill's celebrated VE Day speech. The procession travelled down Whitehall, past the Cenotaph, done Admiralty Arch and up the Mall.

World War Two veterans watched the lawsuit from the extremity of the Mall astatine the Queen Victoria Memorial, alongside the King, Queen and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The procession was followed by a flypast of existent and historical subject aircraft. Led by 1 of 2 operational Lancaster bombers arsenic good arsenic immoderate of the astir precocious combat aircraft, it besides featured the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows, celebrated for their red, achromatic and bluish fume trails successful the sky.

Three generations of the Royal Family delighted crowds with their quality astatine Monday's subject parade.

King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and their 3 children watched the subject parade astatine the Queen Victoria Memorial. Afterwards, the royals went to the Buckingham Palace balcony to greet the crowds gathered connected the Mall and ticker the subject flypast.

The Royal Family besides hosted a beverage enactment for warfare veterans, their families and different members of the wartime procreation successful the palace gardens.

The 2025 VE Day commemorations are the archetypal to instrumentality spot without immoderate of the royals who appeared connected the balcony 80 years ago. In 1945, ample crowds gathered extracurricular Buckingham Palace to drawback a glimpse of King George VI, the Queen Mother, a young Queen Elizabeth II, and Princess Margaret.

On Monday, HMS Belfast hosted a backstage VE Day 80 day event, followed by an "after-hours party" with drinks, euphony and peculiar guests. The celebrated ship, present parked adjacent to Tower Bridge, is the astir important surviving WW2 warship. It fired immoderate of the opening shots connected D-Day successful 1944 and protected Arctic convoys during the war.

Street parties person besides taken spot up and down the country, with section communities encouraged to organise their ain get-togethers to echo the celebrations from 80 years ago. Councils hosted events and immoderate waived their accustomed roadworthy closure fee. Check your section assembly website to spot what festivities are taking spot successful your area.

On Tuesday, the Tower of London opened an creation installation of 30,000 ceramic poppies to people the 80th day of VE Day. The flowers primitively featured successful Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, an artwork created to people the centenary of WW1 and included 888,246 poppies astatine the castle.

Royal Historic Palaces (RHP) said the caller installation of poppies "will determination crossed the tract overlooked by the past White Tower, wherever the blood-red flowers volition signifier a crater, with ripples flowing outwards".

Visitors tin spot the poppies arsenic portion of a wide admittance summons to the Tower of London, though a tiny portion volition beryllium disposable from the nationalist footpath. The accumulation runs until Armistice Day connected 11 November.

• Poppies determination crossed Tower of London to people VE Day

On Tuesday evening, dozens of buildings crossed the UK were lit up for VE Day 80. These included Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament.

For those who lived done VE Day, celebrations are often remembered arsenic a infinitesimal of airy aft years of blackouts and acheronian during the war.

The BBC is commemorating VE Day with a assortment of peculiar programmes. Highlights connected BBC One and BBC iPlayer person included peculiar editions of Saturday Kitchen connected 3 May (10:00 BST), Antiques Roadshow connected 4 May (20:00 BST), The One Show connected 5 May (18:30 BST), Who Do You Think You Are? connected 6 May (21:00 BST) and EastEnders connected 8 May (19:30 BST).

Online, BBC News is covering the celebrations with a scope of reporting including unrecorded pages of the commemorations and a affluent enactment of video interviews with radical who lived done the war.

There volition besides beryllium unrecorded broadcasts of large events including:

Thursday 8 May - VE Day 80: The Nation Remembers (BBC One, 10:45 BST), a work of thanksgiving from Westminster Abbey presented by Sophie Raworth with commentary from Petroc Trelawny.

Thursday 8 May - VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember (BBC One, 20:00 BST) a unrecorded performance from the Horse Guards Parade successful London presented by Zoe Ball.

• To work much astir what's happening crossed the BBC, click here.