Liberation Day | |
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Official name | English: Liberation Day Jèrriais: Jour d'la Libéthâtion Guernésiais: Jour dé la Libératiaon |
Observed by | Guernsey, Jersey |
Type | National Day |
Date | 9 May |
Next time | 9 May 2025 |
Frequency | annual |
Related to | German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II |
Liberation Day (Jèrriais: Jour d'la Libéthâtion; Guernésiais: Lé Jour dé la Libératiaon[1]) is the national day of both Guernsey and Jersey,[2][3] the two largest of the Channel Islands, which takes place on 9 May each year. It commemorates the liberation of the Channel Islands on 9 May 1945, which marked the end of the islands' occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II. It falls on the same day as the European Union's Europe Day, which celebrates post-World War II peace and European unity. 9 May is a public holiday in both islands and each has different celebrations and commemorative events; the centrepiece of Jersey's is the Liberation Day re-enactment in the Liberation Square, while Guernsey's is an islandwide cavalcade of classic vehicles.[4]