Liberation Day events will not return to the Town seafront

Friday 21 January 2022

The tradition of thousands of people spending Liberation Day at entertainment along the Town seafront is over for good.

The covid pandemic prevented large-scale events in Town on Liberation Day in 2020 and 2021.

And today the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture is announcing a “new look Liberation Day” for 2022 and future years with celebrations no longer focused on St. Peter Port.

The States’ overall budget for Liberation Day will remain the same. But the money the Committee normally spends putting on events along the Town seafront will instead be given to the island’s douzaines to organise celebrations in their own parishes.

Commemorative events – including the parade inspection and church service – will still take place in St. Peter Port on the morning of 9 May. There will be live music at Castle Cornet with free entry all day. And the evening fireworks display over Town is being retained.

Pictured: Although most events on Liberation Day are being moved out of Town from now on, there will still be an evening fireworks display in St. Peter Port.

But events will otherwise be held across the 10 parishes in what the Committee is describing as an “exciting approach [to] ensure that every parish will have the opportunity to receive a grant to support the development of community-based events”.

The Committee says that “positive discussions have taken place with parish representatives with widespread support for this change in approach”.

A cavalcade will travel around the island, as it did last year. And some events will be live streamed online again, including the church service and fireworks.

Pictured: Deputy Sue Aldwell, who sits on the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, which is responsible for the States' Liberation Day celebrations.

Deputy Sue Aldwell, who leads on Liberation Day celebrations for the Committee, said that holding events across the parishes rather than focusing them on Town would make them more accessible.

“We are so excited about the plans for this year and the direction of travel for future Liberation Days,” said Deputy Aldwell.

“Last year was such a success as the whole community came together to put on events throughout the island. The feedback we received, including the hugely popular island-wide cavalcade, was so enthusiastic.

Pictured: The cavalcade was a central feature of Liberation Day celebrations along the Town seafront (top), but in 2021 the cavalcade travelled around the island (bottom) and this will happen again in 2022 and future years. 

“When officers leading on the organising of Liberation Day came up with the plan to move forward with parish-focused celebrations, the Committee was fully supportive.

“Liberation Day is for the whole island and, by ensuring every parish has the opportunity to secure funding to host an event, we are going to make it as accessible as possible for everyone to get involved.

“We are looking forward to sharing more with the community as we continue working with the parishes and plans develop further.”

Pictured: The Committee for Education, Sport & Culture says that from now on States' funding of Liberation Day celebrations will shift from events in Town to events across all the parishes.

Becky Link, Senior Constable in Torteval, where Deputy Aldwell was a Douzenier before her election to the States, is also enthusiastic about Liberation Day events being decentralised.

“I have to say that the 2021 Liberation Day was one of the best,” she said.

“In Torteval, a Liberation Day church service was organised and then we had a ‘bring and share’ lunch in the Parish Hall. At 14:00, we walked up to the main road, where we had the pleasure of watching the cavalcade. It was fantastic.

“Having chatted to many, many parishioners, everyone agreed it was a brilliant day and so much better than going into Town.

“We appreciate that on the big anniversaries there might be some Town events, but we truly are happy to keep it to the parish.”

Pictured: The first Liberation Day celebrations in 1945.

The Committee says it will compile a comprehensive programme of Liberation Day events being held in the parishes and publish the programme on the Liberation Day website, which can be accessed HERE.