Event Programme

The plaque will be unveiled on Tuesday 6th May, at 10.30am at 34 St George's Esplanade (China Red), St Peter Port. Everyone is welcome to attend.

When radios were confiscated by the German occupying forces in 1940, the work of the Guernsey Active Secret Press (GASP) began. From June 1942 to May 1945, GASP was producing weekly and monthly newsletters. The threat of arrest was real - many islanders were prosecuted for possessing radio sets, and those behind the Guernsey Underground News Service (GUNS), another resistance network also distributing news, were deported. The Blue Plaque will commemorate those involved in GASP and the risks they took listening to broadcasts outside the island.

The 8th May 2025 will mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, a celebration of the end of WWII in Europe. The beacon lighting represents the ‘light of peace’ that emerged. 

The beacon lighting will take place at Castle Cornet on 8th at 9:30pm. The event is invite only but the public can watch the livestream of the event on the Guernsey Museums Facebook page.

Public buildings will be lit up in red, white and blue to make the 80th anniversary of VE Day and Liberation Day.

Friday 9 May will begin with the siren sounded from Victoria Tower at 8:59am, in remembrance of those who fought in the Second World War.

This will be followed by a two-minute silence before the sounding of the 'all clear' siren.

The historic Guernsey Schools Relay Race will be back on the seafront in St. Peter Port again this year with races for boys and girls representing all the island's secondary schools.

The Bailiff of Guernsey, Sir Richard McMahon, will lay a commemorative wreath at the War Memorial at 10.50am.

Guernsey will welcome over 100 visiting military personnel as part of this year’s Liberation Day parade.

The three services will all be represented with contingents from HMS DARING, Princess of Wales Royal Regiment and 201 Squadron, all of which hold affiliations with Guernsey.

The parade will be led by the Royal Marines Band Scotland.  A contingent of Ghurkas and the ever-popular Chelsea Pensioners will also take their place in the parade.

The visiting military will be joined by the Island Cadet Guard, Elizabeth College Combined Cadet Force and representatives from the Sea Cadets, Air Cadet Force, Army Cadet Force and RAF Air Cadets and a contingent of local veterans representing all three services.

The parade will be inspected by His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor, Richard Cripwell CB, CBE and The Bailiff, Sir Richard McMahon. before parading an extended route along the seafront to the slaughterhouse roundabout and back to the Town Church. 

This year’s church service will be led by the Bishop of Salisbury at midday to an invited congregation.

The service will be livestreamed for those who wish to watch the service and will be broadcast into the tea tent on The Albany where seating for 150 people will be available. 

North Beach will host the main stage, sponsored by The Co-operative, featuring live entertainment from local and visiting musicians throughout the day and into the evening. There will be a food and drink village, stallholders and charities pitches and seating for around 750 people.

The programme for the stage is as follows:

Families can look forward to a packed schedule of free, fun-filled entertainment at the Children's Zone on Crown Pier, thanks to the support of Waitrose Rohais and Admiral Park.

At the heart of the excitement is a charming vintage fair from Downs’ Steam Fair, a family-run company with a rich history dating back to 1850. Children are invited to step back in time and experience the thrill of classic rides on the pier, including a chair-o-plane, helter-skelter and carousel, as well as an Austin cars ride, featuring ten genuine 1950s Austin J40 pedal cars. These timeless attractions promise to bring endless joy and thrills from a bygone era.

The Children’s Zone will also feature activities and events to spark creativity and imagination. A crafts and tea tent, generously run by Trinity Church, will sit alongside an arts area, climbing wall, skateboarding, bubble shows, games, princess appearances, face painting, hair braiding, biscuit decorating and more. 

Complimentary tea and coffee provided by Trinity Church will be available on the pier, with a designated seating area and a small buggy park. 

Pedro Gamerio, Branch Manager of Waitose Admiral park, said:

'Our engagement with the community is particulary important to us and the Children's Zone was an obvious fit to support this Liberation Day.  Crown Pier will offer a safe and relaxed spot for families to have fun with their children completely free of charge. From creative activities to classic fairground rides there is someone for everyone to enjoy across all ages.'

Five vintage lifeboats, two local and three from the UK, will be moored in the marina alongside the newly refurbished Flying Christine. You are very welcome to walk down on to the pontoon and speak to the owners.

The visiting vintage lifeboats, City of Bradford III, James and Catherine Macfarlane and Mary Irene Millar, will arrive on 4th may.

Guernsey Military Motors and Cycles will set up an encampment of British military vehicles and motor cycles for the afternoon.

The Cavalcade military vehicles will form up a static display on the Albert Pier from 3.30pm with the vintage cars and tractors parking on the road in front of the bus terminus.  With over 300 military vehicles, vintage cars and tractors taking part in the Cavalcade it will be a spectacular sight.

The vehicles on the Albert Pier will leave at 6pm travelling back along the seafront to the Weighbridge.

Sponsored by The Old Government House Hotel & Spa and supporting GROW Limited, the tea tent will serve two purposes throughout the day, catering for all ages.

Positioned on The Albany, a livestream of the Liberation Day church service will be shown at midday.

From 1pm the tent will provide a quieter area to sit down and relax with refreshments available throughout the afternoon.

General Manager of the Old Government House Hotel, Andrew Chantrell, said

‘Liberation Day is about coming together to celebrate and remember Guernsey’s history. In honour of collaborating, we are very much looking forward to inviting the GROW team into the OGH kitchens to jointly make the scones and cakes as part of the preparations and to running the tent with them on the day.’

All proceeds raised in the tea tent on 9 May will be given to the local charity.

James Ferguson, Chef Consultant at the GROW Cafe, added:

'Preparing all the cakes and then running the tent on the day is a great opportunity for the GROW team. I am very proud of the fantastic work they do to run the cafe at GROW and this will build on that experience and allow the public to see the confidence and skills this has enabled them to develop.’

A dedicated Heritage tent will provide an opportunity to explore the island’s Liberation and heritage with films, photographs and documents  and contributions from Guernsey Museums, the Language Commission and Find My Past.

Both the morning parade and afternoon cavalcade will make use of the whole seafront with the route going all the way down to the Castle Pier roundabout. This is to ensure there are as many viewing positions as possible.  

Seating for 500 people will be provided at The Albany bus terminus for those who require it, including those with limited mobility, carers and sunflower lanyard holders. There will also be a reserved area for wheelchair users. Limited seating will also be available outside the Town Church, by the Victor Hugo seat.  

Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and there will be volunteer marshals monitoring these areas to ensure seating and spaces are being used by those who need it most. Users are asked to be mindful and give up their seats if there is someone less able to stand.

The new Youth Commission venture ‘The Bus Stop’ will be stationed at the end of the bus terminus with activities for teenagers, including traditional games, video games and refreshments thanks to the support of Fort Group. Camilla's cafe will be serving smoothies and will have cakes to decorate.

The Children's zone, sponsored by Waitrose Rohais and Admiral Park, will extend on to Castle Pier with bouncy castles, a craft tent run by Shiloh Church and a dance zone ensuring plenty of entertainment for children and families.

There will also be a number of local stallholders and food concessions.

Enjoy the activities as you make your way up to Castle Cornet where a day of music and family activities is taking place

A 21-gun salute will be fired by local military veterans.

1pm: Beat the Retreat, BADOTSA

A Beat the Retreat performed by the Bugles and Drums of the Stedfast Association whose members are all former Boys Brigade Band from across the United Kingdom and beyond.

4pm: The Vibettes

The Vibettes bring back the sound of the 1940’s delivering those close vocal harmonies that are so well known of that time.

Covering songs from artists that continue to be so well loved of that era, such as The Andrews Sisters, Doris Day, Bing Crosby, Vera Lynn and many more! The classic up tempo swing beats and boogie woogie can't fail to get you into the vintage swing.

With close to 350 entries, the 2025 Liberation Day Cavalcade sponsored by Rok will be biggest ever. In addition to the pre-1946 military vehicles, cars and tractors, the Cavalcade is joined by parish, charity and family floats, decorated bicycles and wheelchairs, pedestrians, community groups and visiting and local musicians.

Kevan Nelson, Director at Rok said:

‘We’re excited and proud to be sponsoring this year’s cavalcade, which plays such an important part in the Liberation celebrations for so many people. Guernsey’s occupation and liberation is a significant part in the island’s history and with all the visiting vehicles and the opportunity for the community to take part it promises to be a very fitting and special celebration.’

Military vehicles, vintage cars and tractors

Floats and pedestrians

If you are watching the Cavalcade on the St Peter Port seafront please follow directions from the Police, Civil Protection and marshals and stay on the pavement. The Cavalcade will be travelling on both sides of the road so this is for your safety.

Static displays

Islanders will get a flavour of the moment when Guernsey was freed from occupation in 1945, through a historical re-enactment of Force 135's arrival on the island.

Organised by the Guernsey Military History Company, the living history performance will recreate the arrival of Force 135, the British military task force who were responsible for the liberation of the Channel Islands from German occupation.

The event will feature HMS Medusa and Rummy III (HMS Flycatcher) with Guernsey Petroleum Distributors Ltd (GPD) sponsoring the fuel for the visiting craft.

Mat Broughton, from GPD and a representative of Guernsey Military Motors & Cycles (GMMC) said:

'It's a privilege for GPD to play a part in helping bring history to life for the community and we hope that this event will give people a real sense of what it was like when British forces arrived to restore our freedom 80 years ago.

'GMMC will have a display set up on Albert Pier all day, with vintage British WW2 military vehicles and motorcycles providing a glimpse into wartime life.'

Russell Doherty, Guernsey Military History Company and organiser of the re-enactment, said:

'Force 135 was the British military task force responsible for the liberation of the Channel Islands from German occupation, composed of elements from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.

'This re-enactment will be a moving tribute to those who lived through the occupation and a way for all generations to connect with this pivotal moment in Guernsey's history.'

150 drones will illuminate the skies above St. Peter Port in a spectacular fusion of technology, art, and storytelling that celebrates the island’s history, resilience and liberation. A stirring selection of music from five larger works, selected by Jean Owen, will be knitted together to accompany the drone display, heightening the audience experience.

The drone performance is choreographed by FlightShows, a leading provider of aerial light displays, and will be the first public display staged in Guernsey. The 15-minute show has been uniquely designed for the island and will provide a memorable and modern twist to the traditional celebrations of Guernsey’s Liberation Day, with the drones launching from North Beach.

Jean Owen, who has arranged the musical accompaniment, said:

'We wanted to ensure the music would be recognisable as well as fit with the images that had been chosen. I thought of a number of pieces quite quickly and then had to work out if there were obvious places we could make cuts to fit the timings.

'The show will open Copeland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and includes Holst’s Jupiter with the stirring melody of ‘I vow to thee my country’. Stravinsky’s Firebird might not be on everyone’s playlist, but the drama and excitement of the music makes a fitting conclusion for the final images. The music celebrates freedom and is complemented by the symbolism of a firebird, which is set free at the end of the ballet and is widely thought to symbolise hope to common people after suffering trials first.'

Richard Saunders, Butterfield’s Managing Director in Guernsey said:

'Each year the Liberation Day fireworks have always been a stand-out finale. So, to see 150 drones lighting up the sky this year creating what is sure to be an emotional performance to Jean’s selection of music above St Peter Port is going to be a wonderful addition on a memorable day.

'We are pleased to be able to contribute to the Liberation celebrations and do our part to support the community. I’m hoping it will be the perfect sign off to the celebrations across the island and I hope everyone enjoys the show.'

The drone show will be followed immediately by the traditional fireworks display which will be fired from La Vallette.

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Saturday 10 May, 6pm

Sir John Loveridge Hall, Beau Sejour

The Liberation Concert will involve local musicians who will perform with the Biberach Youth Orchestra.

The performance on Saturday 10 May at 6pm in the Sir John Loveridge Hall, Beau Sejour, will celebrate the strong relationship that has been formed with Biberach, the town in Germany where more than 80  islanders were deported during the war. 

The concert will feature works by other local composers Lydia Sullivan-Pugh, Martin Cordall and songs written by Len Collins and Ernie Webster who were interned at Laufen Camp.

The concert is sold out.  Please check with Beau Sejour if any tickets have been returned.

PROGRAMME

The Corps of Drums from The Band of His Majesty’s Royal Marines Scotland 

Guernsey Choral and Orchestral Society, Biberach Youth Orchestra, Guernsey Chamber Choir, Bel Canto, Guernsey Music Service students from the Guernsey Youth Orchestra and Cantabile, and other local singers and musicians 

 Biberach Youth Orchestra 

Guernsey Choral and Orchestral Society, Biberach Youth Orchestra, Guernsey Chamber Choir, Bel Canto, Guernsey Music Service students from the Guernsey Youth Orchestra and Cantabile, and other local singers and musicians 

Cantabile 

Guernsey Choral and Orchestral Society, Biberach Youth Orchestra, Guernsey Chamber Choir, Bel Canto, Guernsey Music Service students from the Guernsey Youth Orchestra and Cantabile, and other local singers and musicians