VE Day to Be Celebrated Across Ealing

Events taking place over the early May Bank Holiday weekend

Children celebrate the end of war in Europe in 1945. Picture: Imperial War Museum

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April 9, 2025

Ealing residents are being encouraged to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day.

A range of events both official and community organised will be taking place in and around the area from bank holiday Monday 5 May until Thursday 8 May.

VE Day took place on 8 May 1945 marking the Allied victory in Europe, with the news resulting in millions of people celebrating the end of the war with parties, dancing and singing across the country.

Residents can apply to hold a VE Day street party on Monday 5 May by filling in the road closure application form on the council’s website here. Applications must be submitted by Thursday 17 April.

People can use this interactive map to find out what VE Day events are happening near them.

The council is holding a commemorative event in Walpole Park (Mattock Lane entrance) on Thursday 8 May – the 80th anniversary day - starting at 9pm. The hymn, Vow to Thee My Country, will be sung at 9.30pm, and the gathering will culminate with the lighting of the beacon, which is near Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery, at 9.45pm.

A blue plaque will be unveiled at Lawrence Road, South Ealing on Thursday 8 May to commemorate the courageous efforts of an Ealing resident during World War Two. The event, organised by English Heritage, will be attended by Ealing Council leader Peter Mason and Councillor Blerina Hashani, cabinet member for thriving communities.

National commemorations will begin at The Cenotaph, which will be dressed in Union flags, on Monday 5 May and there will be a military procession and a flypast in London honouring and remembering those who lost their lives in the conflict. A ceremony on HMS Belfast will kick off the community celebrations.

Council leader, Peter Mason, said, “While we honour and remember the millions of people who lost their lives during World War Two, it is also important to celebrate their efforts and the peacetime they brought about on Victory in Europe Day, just as people did 80 years ago.”

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