Victory Day in France honors the end of World War II in Europe, the defeat of Nazi Germany, and the sacrifices made for freedom, with nationwide ceremonies and an official public holiday.

When is Victory Day?

Victory Day in France is celebrated every year on May 8.

The following is the list of Victory Day from 2020 to 2049.

The History of Victory Day?

On May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany signed its unconditional surrender to the Allies in Reims, France (ratified later in Berlin). The announcement of victory was greeted with jubilation in France, which had endured Nazi occupation from 1940 to 1944. Almost immediately, May 8 was celebrated as a day of victory and liberation.

In 1946, the French government officially declared May 8 a public holiday to commemorate the victory and honor those who sacrificed during the war. In the years following, different governments debated how to commemorate the date. Some felt it was too focused on war and division, preferring to highlight broader reconciliation.

President Charles de Gaulle modified the status of May 8. In 1959, it was downgraded from a fixed public holiday to a day of commemoration, with ceremonies but no statutory closure of workplaces.

In 1975, President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing went further, removing May 8 as a public holiday, though it remained a symbolic day of remembrance.

In 1981, newly elected President François Mitterrand restored May 8 as an official public holiday. This restoration reflected the importance of WWII memories in French society and the desire to formally honor veterans and victims.

Since 1981, May 8 has remained a national public holiday in France, marked by solemn ceremonies, most notably at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, where the President of France lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.