80th anniversary of VE Day

This year we commemorate the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, which marked the end of the war in Europe and World War II as a whole on 8 May 1945.

There will be celebrations marking the 80^th Victory in Europe anniversary with events in the UK on Thursday, 8 May 2025, as well as with community events around the UK.

More information on how Charnwood will commemorate VE Day 80 will be published on this webpage as it is confirmed.

Visit the official VE Day 80 website

Holding an event to commemorate VE Day

Detailed below is some information and key dates that you may find useful to get you started if you are planning to hold an event to commemorate VE Day.

Planning a street party

You will need to apply to Leicestershire County Council to close your street/road to traffic by completing the VE Day 80^th Anniversary application pack below:

• VE Day 80 Application Pack (Word Document, 0.1 Mb)

Please note: This form should only be used to inform Leicestershire County Council of your VE Day event. Please return all completed forms to eventsnetworkmanagement@leics.gov.uk.

All fees associated with the legal application have been waived for VE Day 80^th Anniversary and the application time reduced to six weeks. Please note this is ONLY for VE Day 80^th Anniversary and does not apply to other events.

If you wish to apply for a road closure or any other restrictions the last date for submission is Friday, 21 March 2025. Applications after this date may not be able to be fulfilled.

Given the occasion and following Government guidance, Leicestershire County Council will not be asking for the usual required documentation for a road closure such as an in-depth risk assessment. However, consideration still needs to be given to ensure the safety of all attendees and an enjoyable event.

Within the registration form you will find some additional information for you to consider. Further Government advice on road closures for street parties can be found on the Government website.

The information you supply to Leicestershire County Council regarding your event will be shared with the emergency services so they can put their own plans and resources in place. Please submit your application form in good time, it is better to submit draft plans than nothing at all. It is essential that the emergency services are kept well informed of the events and we would rather know something is happening well in advance than finding out the day before.

Signs and Cones

Leicestershire County Council Highways is offering the loan of signs and cones, should you require these please complete Section 5 of the VE Day 80^th Anniversary application pack attached. Please be aware signs and cones must be collected from and returned to the LCC Mountsorrel Highways Depot. Appropriate arrangements will need to be made for collection. The deadline for your cones and signs applications is Friday 21^st March 2025, after this date we cannot guarantee availability.

Please note that the fees for the loan of signs will be waived for all VE Day 80^th Anniversary events but equipment must be returned or it will be invoiced for.

Council-owned land and licences

If you would like to organise an event on Council land or a greenspace or to find out about licensable activities such as selling food and drink or having music on a stage please use the links below to find the information you need:

Apply to use of Council-owned land