They are among the many events being put on to mark 80 years since VE Day
A VE Day picnic at Cardiff Castle earlier this week(Image: John Myers/WalesOnline)
Picnickers can feast on fish and chips at two parks in the Bristol area as part of VE Day celebrations. Today (May 8) marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War, with many events planned including beacon lighting and street parties.
Plenty of people will be marking the occasion tonight with a chippy tea, as fish and chips were exempt from wartime rationing to maintain morale. Two locations in particular are encouraging people to enjoy theirs outside this evening, when forecasters are predicting sunshine and 16C temperatures.
Kingswood Town Council is inviting people to gather from 6pm at Kingswood Park with a picnic dinner or fish and chips, recommending Marios Fish Bar or Clock Tower as good options in the town. The free event at the park will also include live music, lantern lighting and speeches.
Elsewhere in South Gloucestershire, Siston Parish Council has arranged a VE Day celebration at The Beacon, on top of Siston Hill. Attendees will be able to purchase a fish and chip picnic from 6.30pm, ahead of live music and a beacon-lighting ceremony later in the evening.
Organisers suggest wearing costumes from the era and bringing flags to wave in celebration. More than 130 fish and chip shops across the UK will be offering a special VE Day discount, according to the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), though no Bristol locations were listed at the time of writing.
NFFF President Andrew Crook said: “This is a unique opportunity to remember how the nation came together to overcome adversity 80 years ago and how they came through it. It is a humbling thought that the fish and chip industry played a part in the war effort.
“Even on the D-Day landings, the initial push into Europe by the Allies, they used ‘fish’ and the response ‘and chips’ as one of the passwords. Fish and chips are still the nations favourite dish and we hope customers make us their preferred choice over the VE Day celebrations this week”.
Other VE Day events in and around Bristol include remembrance services, bell ringing and exhibitions. In London the skies will be painted red, white and blue as the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows fly over the capital.
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