On Wednesday 5th June 2019 Portsmouth hosted the national commemorations for D-Day 75 with events running until Sunday 9th June 2019.

On the morning of 5th June Southsea Common hosted the national commemorations which were attended by invited guests including senior Royal, political and military representatives from around the world. The event told the story of the build-up to D-Day through a programme of live music, performance and testimonials. Towards the end of the event a Royal Navy frigate fired a naval gun salute followed by a spectacular fly-past of up to 25 historic and UK military aircraft including the Red Arrows and the iconic spitfire.

During the afternoon the Red Arrows returned to perform a magnificent display and the MV Boudicca set sail carrying 300 D-Day veterans to Normandy.

Thursday 6th June saw hundreds of people re-enact the walk from The Mountbatten Centre down to the D-Day Stone opposite South Parade Pier where a service took place.

The remaining three days saw the security barriers removed from the Common opening it up for crowds to enjoy the events featuring military bands, fireworks, family entertainment, military vehicles and much more. The Red Arrows once again returned on Saturday for a fly-past.