Invitation to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day

To remember the bittersweet moment when war ended in Europe 80 years ago, York residents are being encouraged to mark this significant day.

From the Bank Holiday on Monday 5 May, a week of celebrations and commemorations are being welcomed and supported across York, to bring people together to mark the day when peace returned to Europe, and to remember the many sacrifices made.

Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) took place on 8 May 1945. It was the long-awaited moment which ended nearly six years of war. Following the Allies advance and Adolf Hitler’s death, Nazi Germany officially surrendered. The conflict in Europe was over and people celebrated with street parties, dancing and singing.

In York, as will happen across the country, a week of events is being planned. The City Bars and the Walls will be lit in red, white and blue on the nights of Monday 5 to Thursday 8 May as a mark of respect for the sacrifices made by so many, to preserve and protect our way of life.

To bring that commemoration to York’s streets and communities, neighbours and families are invited to apply for a free temporary street closure for their events and street parties from Saturday 3 May up to and including Thursday 8 May. This covers the long Bank Holiday weekend up to and including the 80^th anniversary itself.

Organisers might want to invite people to bring along old photographs and memorabilia to get everyone talking about VE Day and what the war and the peace following it means to us? Whether you sing ‘We’ll meet again’ or ‘There’ll be blue birds over’, serve Spam sandwiches or pop a cork, it’s all about bringing people together for a very special occasion.

York’s business community is being encouraged to host events for staff. Any organisation planning to charge for an event will need to pay for a road closure order as usual.

Cllr Pete Kilbane, Executive Member for Economy and Culture at City of York Council, said: “The end of the war in Europe is a moment to celebrate. It also reminds us of the sacrifices people made so that we can be free today.

“So let’s come together in our streets, communities and workplaces and mark this 80^thanniversary! Let’s talk about what it means to us now and remember with gratitude what our families did then, whether on active service or on the home front.

“These events will connect us to communities up and down the country who are also remembering and celebrating. They’re a chance for older residents who may have lived through the Second World War to choose to share their memories and for us to honour them.”

If you’d like to request a free temporary road closure for your community celebration, please submit the form at www.york.gov.uk/RoadClosures by Wednesday 30 April. Please submit applications for complex road closures as soon as possible so we can, hopefully, process them in time.

Businesses or organisations planning to charge attendees at their event must request and pay for a temporary road closure order in the usual way at www.york.gov.uk/RoadClosures.

Information about the event, including VE Day events across York and nationally, ideas for organising street parties, a celebration toolkit, a map of events, a bunting design competition, and our services over the Bank Holiday, are at www.york.gov.uk/VEDay80.

The war in the Far East and the Second World War as a whole ended on 15 August 1945, when Japan surrendered on ‘Victory over Japan’ (VJ Day). Events are being planned to mark that 80^thanniversary too and will be announced in the summer.