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.

Please note the city is expected to be very busy across the week of D-Day 80 events. In addition to this there will be some road closures in place, as well as changes to parking. See our blog for all the details.

The easiest way for ticket holders to travel to Portsmouth is by train to Portsmouth & Southsea station. From the station, there is a free shuttle bus to and from the daytime and evening events from a nearby bus stop on Isambard Brunel Way, which is a short walk from the station. The entrance to the event is a five-minute walk from the bus stop along a signed route.

More information can be found on our blog.