D-Day 80 Commemoration

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Portsmouth will be at the centre of the UK’s national commemorations for D-Day 80 this June.

2024 marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day; a combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France. Operation Overlord saw tens of thousands of soldiers set off from Portsmouth to cross the Channel, establishing a foothold along the French coast from which they could begin the advance to liberate northwest Europe.

The anniversary will be marked with a national event taking place here in Portsmouth; part of a series of major commemorations taking place in both the UK and in France.

On 5 June, the date that many soldiers set off from Portsmouth, an event on Southsea Common will see thousands of members of the public join D-Day veterans and VIP guests to mark the anniversary. The commemoration - which will be broadcast live on the BBC - will have at its heart the personal stories and reflections of D-Day veterans. There will also be performances from military musicians, a Royal Air Force flypast, and moving tributes from special guests.

Outside of the national commemoration Portsmouth will host a series of other events to mark the anniversary and honour those who took part in D-Day. Many of these will be centred around The D-Day Story, the UK's only museum dedicated solely to the Normandy landings. There have already been pop-up museums installed in libraries across the city, and more events will be announced over the weeks ahead.

See our dedicated D-Day 80 page for all the information on what's taking place in Portsmouth, or head to the government's D-Day 80 site for further details about the commemoration on 5 June.