With a handful of bank holidays left in the UK this year, you might be wondering when they are scheduled for and if one is taking place as we celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

Victory in Europe Day, known as VE Day, is celebrated on May 8 each year to mark the day the Allies formally accepted Germany’s surrender in 1945 and people are being urged to celebrate the occasion with street parties this year.

In the run up to VE Day there will be plenty of celebrations including Red Arrows displays, street parties, an installation of 30,000 ceramic poppies and more.

But will members of the public celebrate with an extra bank holiday?

Is VE Day a bank holiday in the UK?

While celebrations are being very much encouraged across the UK, the event will not be a bank holiday, reports The Independent.

It was confirmed in November 2024 by Downing Street that we wouldn’t get an extra May bank holiday.

The Prime Minister’s spokesperson said the celebrations “do not include an additional bank holiday”, reports The Independent.

They added: “We will look to use the existing May Day bank holiday for commemorative events. We are committed to commemorating these nationally important occasions appropriately, which is why we have announced more than £10m to mark them.”

The decision was made as there is an “important balance to be struck,” they said, given the “impacts for businesses, services and the broader economy, which need to be taken into account.”

Why do we have bank holidays?

There are however, four days of celebrations lined up and the usual May bank holiday on Monday, May 5 will go ahead as planned.

On May 5, the RAF’s Red Arrows will perform a display over London plus a street party will start on the surviving warship HMS Belfast.

Members of the public are encouraged to spend the bank holiday marking the occasion with their own celebrations.

On Tuesday May 6, an installation of 30,000 ceramic poppies will be displayed in the Tower of London, which was bombed during the Blitz. Landmarks across the UK will be lit up later in the day too.

Commemorating the newsflash announcement on the evening of May 7, 1945 that the following day would be VE Day, the Parliament Choir will host an anniversary concert in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday, May 7.

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On VE Day itself (May 8), a service will take place at Westminster Abbey and more than 10,000 members of the public will attend a concert at Horseguards Parade.

Remaining bank holidays in 2025

This year, we still have plenty of bank holidays:

  • Early May - May 5
  • Spring - May 26
  • Summer - August 25
  • Christmas Day - December 25
  • Boxing Day - December 26

Downing Street confirmed we wouldn’t have an extra bank holiday for the VE Day celebrations back in November 2024.