VE Day 2020: when is it, and how to celebrate the 75th anniversary in lockdown

The second Friday of May will mark 75 years since VE Day as the United Kingdom remembers the end of war in Europe.

The coronavirus outbreak means that there will be no street parties, parades or concerts this year, but nonetheless there is plenty going on to celebrate.

Here is all the information you need on what VE Day is, why we celebrate it, and the ways in which you can make sure to mark the occasion in lockdown.

When is VE Day 2020?

VE Day 2020 takes place on Friday May 8 in the United Kingdom. This year, it will be on a Bank Holiday - a decision that has been made specially to honour the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

What is VE Day?

VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) is the day on which Allied forces formally announced the surrender of Germany, which brought the Second World War to a close in Europe.

The military surrender was first signed on May 7, but a slightly modified document with the final terms was signed on May 8 in Berlin.

Celebrations immediately erupted throughout Britain and more than one million people celebrated in the streets. In London, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth appeared on the balcony alongside Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

In a radio address to the nation, Churchill said: "My dear friends, this is your hour. We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing."

VE Day is celebrated in memory of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany and Axis forces in the Second World War. It commemorates the armed forces and navy personnel who lost their lives in battle.

How has VE Day been recognised in recent years?

VE Day is recognised every year with street parties, community gatherings, and acknowledgement from the Armed Forces.

The most recent significant celebrations were in 2015, when the 70th anniversary of VE Day was marked with three days of celebrations.

The Queen joined 1,000 veterans and their families in a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, and a military parade passed through Westminster towards Buckingham Palace.

Party leaders put their political differences aside and laid wreaths at the Cenotaph in Whitehall in tribute to the war dead.

Street parties were held across the country. A 1940s-themed concert took place at Horse Guards Parade, with performances from Katherine Jenkins and Status Quo.

The 60th anniversary of VE Day was marked in 2005 by large crowds gathering as The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh travelled in an open top car down the Mall to Buckingham Palace.

What is the Royal Family doing for VE Day?

The Queen will address the nation on May 8th, once again delivering a special television message to mark the occasion. Her speech on the significance of VE Day will be made from Windsor Castle and is to take place at 9pm, at the moment that her father, King George VI, gave a radio address back in 1945.

After the Queen's Speech, a singalong will take place of Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again", which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport says is designed to "allow members of the public to remember and give thanks to the Second World War generation". The lyrics of Lynn's song were echoed in the Queen's televised address about coronavirus.

The Prince of Wales is to read an extract from the diary of George VI written on May 8, 1945, which describes the day on which victory in Europe was declared.

Other members of the Royal Family are to participate in video calls with Second World War veterans.

How to celebrate VE Day in lockdown

Although social distancing measures have led to gatherings and parties being cancelled, a range of celebratory events will take place during lockdown.

A two minute silence will be take place at 11am, which will be broadcast on the BBC. 'The Nation's Toast to the Heroes of WW2' is scheduled for 3pm, with people across the country standing up and raising a glass of a drink of their choice while saying the following toast: "To those who gave so much, we thank you."

Organisers are also encouraging Britons to decorate their home in red, white and blue, and hold a 'stay-at-home street party'.

Neighbours will drape flags and bunting over their homes and enjoy the festivities by having a picnics in their gardens, while observing social distancing rules and staying at least two metres apart from others.

The Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will perform a flypast over Buckingham Palace, while local BBC radio stations have launched an initiative to help you to make your own British Bunting for VE Day.

The Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) charity has launched the 'Tommy in the Window' campaign which centres on launching and celebrating national heroes past and present. The public are being asked to support this year's commemorations by placing a specially designed image of a Second World War soldier, Tommy, in their windows.

Bespoke commemorative military figures and stickers are available, with proceeds going towards helping military veterans find employment.

The official VE Day 75 government website includes and party planning tips plus food tips to help you celebrate at home, featuring a recipe from Prue Leith. There is a dedicated online toolkit on the VE Day 75 website, including bunting and posters that can be printed out and displayed at home.

The RBLI is also facilitating Lindy Hop dance classes, teaching people the popular late 1930s and early 1940s dance, in addition to an online sing-a-long of wartime classics. Other online resources themed around the day are being provided by BBC Bitesize, the Imperial War Museums, the National Army Museum, and the National Archives.

Stanley Northeast, a 99-year-old war veteran from Littlehampton who received the Legion d'Honneur in 2016 for his part in D-Day, wants the nation to 'clap for victory' at 7.45pm, inspired by the weekly clap taking place for key workers.

"I’m scared just the same as I was on D-Day when I landed on the beach in Normandy," he told The Telegraph. "Every Thursday at eight o’clock, I clap to thank the NHS workers and on May 8 I will clap and remember all my comrades that didn’t come home with me."

Hundreds have also signed up to take part in a virtual VE Day commemoration organised by the Royal British Legion in Cambridgeshire. Standard bearers across the world will film themselves lowering their flags, and this footage will be sequenced and edited before being released on May 8.

There are already hundreds of videos of standard bearers across the world dipping their standards on the Virtual Parade 2020 Facebook page.

Solo pipers and town criers around the country will mark VE Day, in a safe and suitable manner. Individual pipers will play Battle's O'er, a traditional air performed on the bagpipes at the end of a battle, from the four highest peaks across the United Kingdom - Ben Nevis, Scafell Peak, Mount Snowdon, and Slieve Donald.

In the market town of Penryn in Cornwall, meanwhile, two key workers will lead thousands of people in singing Cornwall, My Home in unison while standing on their doorsteps. The standard bearer of their town's British Legion will sound the Last Post, before a two-minute silence and a rendition of the national anthem.

The Nottinghamshire town of Mansfield is organising a socially distanced street picnic, while a community group in Harrogate is to deliver sandwiches and scones to elderly residents currently receiving weekly food drop-offs. In Gloucestershire, the Scouts group is encouraging children to decorate their gardens around a VE Day theme.