Commemoration of the Victory of May 8, 1945: The program for the ceremony in Paris

To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Victory of May 8, 1945, a major commemoration is being held on the Place de l'Etoile in Paris. Broadcast live on television, it will be presided over by the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron.

The ceremony will start at 5.50pm at the Arc de Triomphe and at the top of the Champs-Elysées. It will be followed by a parade of re-enactors at around 7pm.

The Ministry of the Armed Forces has published the full schedule for the official ceremony on May 8, 2025. Discover the detailed program!

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Detailed program for May 8, 2025 in Paris :

5.20pm: wreath-laying ceremony in front of the statue of General de Gaulle - Rond-point des Champs-Elysées.

17h50 :

• start of ceremony - Place de l'Étoile ;
• arrival of the President of the Republic. Honors and review of troops;
• historical evocation accompanied by the Republican Guard orchestra.

6:10pm : Speech by the President of the Republic.

18h30 :

• wreath-laying, rekindling of the flame, Last Post, Minute of Silence, Marseillaise sung by the French Army Choir, accompanied by young people involved in the remembrance cycle;
• Greetings from flag bearers, the flag of the Flame Committee, Invalides residents, association presidents and veterans;
• performance of the Liberation March by Allied bands.

19h10 :

• parade of veterans' associations and re-enactors;
• the Patrouille de France closes the parade.

Details of the commemoration:

Music :

• France: music of the Garde Républicaine and French Army choirs
• Great Britain: The Band and Bugles of The Rifles
• Canada: music of the Royal 22nd Regiment
• United States: Army, Air Force and Navy bands
• Cameroon: compagnie de Musiques Principales des Armées
• Germany: marinemusikkorps Wilhelmshaven

Military formations taking part in the ceremony :

• Medical Regiment (RMED)
• 33e Escadre de Surveillance, de Reconnaissance et d'Attaque (33e ESRA)
• 3rd Fighter Wing (3e EC)
• Naval Aviation Force (FAN)
• 503rd Train Regiment (503e RT)
• 3rd Engineer Regiment (3e RG)
• 1st Artillery Regiment (1er RA)
• 1st Rifle Regiment (1er RTir)
• Marine tank infantry regiment (RICM)

The parade:

The parade features four blocks of re-enactors, embodied by flag-bearers from veterans' associations, communities awarded medals from the French Resistance and the Order of the Liberation, and performers of military music, both high-school students and musicians.

Block no. 1 "Spirit of Resistance

• Veterans' association flags
• SNCF defense class with "Résistance Fer" flag
• Re-enactors of the French Forces of the Interior

Block 2 "Memory

• French music
• Autun Military High School
• Lycée Janson de Sailly with "2e choc" flag
• Grande-Synthe high school and its vehicles

Block no. 3 "The Allies

• American music
• Society of Cincinnati
• Restorers
• Canadian Music
• Restorers
• British Music

Block no. 4 "Recognition in peace

• German music
• School choir based on a work by the Académie musicale de Villecroze
• Music from Cameroon
• Jazz Band des reconstitueurs

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