Two additional events planned in Town for Liberation Day

Friday 24 February 2023

The Committee for Education, Sport & Culture has announced two new events to be held in Town on Liberation Day this year, in response to community feedback.

A full static display of all the military vehicles, vintage cars and tractors from the cavalcade will take place along the seafront in St. Peter Port from 3-5pm on Liberation Day for the community to inspect and enjoy. That will be followed by a 1940s-themed concert on Crown Pier between 5pm-9pm, with food and drink available followed by the traditional fireworks display.

With the annual parade and church service in the morning, and music and entertainment at Castle Cornet, with free entry all day from 11-4pm, it means islanders can enjoy activities in Town throughout the day if they wish.

Events in Town will supplement the fantastic community events being organised across a majority of parishes, which have proved so popular in the last couple of years and continue to be supported by the Committee via a grant to help fund them.

The Committee decided to organise two further events in Town after considering feedback from a recent public survey it commissioned. The survey sought to understand the community's views on a wide-range of questions relating to Liberation Day, including what matters most to them when deciding whether to attend an official event, which events they preferred, and why they choose to commemorate the day. The cavalcade was respondents' favourite attraction and the survey also showed people's preference for live music, food and drink and a focal point for celebrations. The two additional events in Town respond directly to this feedback.

A total of 1,944 responses were received..

Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said:

'I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey and share what Liberation Day means to them. It has provided the Committee with real insight and has been very helpful to hear  views from islanders on what has worked well, what types of activities they would like to see more of, where the events should take place, and other practical considerations. The survey showed there were wide-ranging views within the population on the location of events to celebrate Liberation Day. There were some differences in the views expressed, by age group and where in the island people lived. For example, respondents who prefer celebrations in St Peter Port had a younger profile and were more likely to live in St Peter Port and St Sampson's. While those who prefer celebrations in other parishes were more likely to be aged 65 and over and live in the south or west of the island.

'The Committee continues to believe that parish-based activities help take Liberation Day to the community across the island, rather than having a focus on Town, and we continue to be keen to support the parishes with their efforts in this regard. Having said that, it's clear that for some islanders ensuring the Town seafront is bustling on Liberation Day is important to them and the Committee has responded to that by organising two additional centrepiece events along the seafront. It means that Liberation Day really will offer something for everyone.'

Final plans for the 2023 cavalcade have also been confirmed by the Cavalcade Committee, which includes representatives from the Guernsey Military Vehicle Group, Guernsey Old Car Club and The Vintage and Classic Tractor Club.  

Following feedback from Cavalcade drivers, it was clear that last year's route, which included some tight turns and steep hills caused challenges for some of the vintage vehicles. This meant that some vehicles broke down and had to drop out without completing the route.

As a result, the Cavalcade Director along with the three groups involved has reluctantly accepted that the wear on the vehicles, none of which are getting any younger, is too much and the solution is to settle on a route which is less stressful for the vehicles. The Cavalcade Committee has therefore revised the 2023 route which will now be a mainly coastal route commencing in Torteval and ending in St. Peter Port. Unfortunately, this means that the Cavalcade will not travel past the parish events in St Martin's, St Saviour's or St Andrew's.

Deputy Dudley-Owen said:

'The cavalcade is a highlight of Liberation Day and is appreciated by the thousands who watch it along the route. While the route change will be disappointing for some, we understand the impact of last year's route on some of these very old vehicles, so it is sensible to make route changes to ensure their longevity.

'I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the event planning for Liberation Day so far. There is a lot to do for an event like this behind the scenes and a lot of people across the community - including some businesses - are giving up their time to help pull together what is shaping up to be a fantastic day.'

Cavalcade Route 2023

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