Cardiff Castle will glow red as Cardiff marks the 80thanniversary of VE Day with a special celebration picnic in the Castle grounds, residents host street parties, and a ‘Victory Days’ exhibition exploring how the city’s residents celebrated the end of the Second World War is held at the Museum of Cardiff.
- VE Day Picnic
Organised by Cardiff Council and supported by Welsh Government, the celebration picnic in Cardiff Castle’s public open space will take place from 11am – 5pm on Bank Holiday Monday May 5th.
The family-friendly event will feature a range of free entertainment. Expect music from the bandstand, walkabout entertainers including circus and puppet shows as well as children’s craft activities.
Firing Line Museum of the Queen’s Dragoon Guards and The Royal Welsh will also be taking part in the celebrations with a display of artifacts from World War II and remote-controlled miniature tanks to play with.
The event is free to attend, and no tickets are required – just gather your friends and family together, pack a picnic, grab a blanket, and turn up to enjoy the fun.
The event forms part of the Great British Food Festival campaign. Led by the Together Coalition, the campaign aims to bring communities across Wales and the UK together to mark VE Day with a street party, a picnic in their local park, or by joining a local community event.
- Castle light up
The external walls of Cardiff Castle will be lit in red overnight on Tuesday May 6thas part of a national programme to mark the anniversary.
- ‘Victory Days’ exhibition
Residents’ memories join objects such as bunting that flew at VE Day celebrations in Llandaff and a programme of VE Day celebrations at Heath Park, to tell the story of Cardiff’s original Victory in Europe Day and Victory in Japan Day celebrations 80 years ago in a special exhibition at the Museum of Cardiff.
Discover how Cynthia recalls going to a dance class with friends during the war years and having a dress made from parachute silk, while Ann remembers A VE Party in Bangor Street, and the sandwiches her mother made of mashed parsnips with banana essence.
The free exhibition at the Museum of Cardiff (The Hayes, Cardiff city centre) runs from 10am – 4pm from Friday May 2nduntil Saturday May 10th.
- Street parties
Residents in a number of residential streets have also organised VE Day community street parties.
To foster a sense of unity and community spirit, residents were offered the opportunity to submit applications to hold organised VE Day street parties over the Bank Holiday Weekend.
Due to a more favourable budget settlement, the Council were able to put one-off funding aside in this financial year which allowed the costs associated with closing roads for VE Day community street parties to be waived, provided the event was non-commercial in nature, meaning no products or entertainment are sold to attendees.
Cabinet Member for Culture, Park and Events, Cllr Jennifer Burke, said: “VE Day marks the end of nearly six years of war, at the cost of millions of lives. It’s a significant event in our shared history and one that should be remembered.
“This could be one of our last opportunities to honour our living veterans who made such sacrifices and fought so bravely for freedom and democracy. Revisiting residents stories through the Victory Days exhibition, lighting Cardiff Castle’s walls in red and inviting the city to come together with friends and family in its iconic is Cardiff’s way of offering them our thanks and respect.
“I hope communities across the city will join us in peace and unity, to mark this important anniversary.”
