Banff Castle to host VE and Community Showcase Day
A community venue in a town has been granted £8000 towards holding a VE Day celebration event.
The Banff Castle Community Association received the funding from The National Lottery’s Awards for All.
Taking place on Saturday, May 10 in the castle grounds, the VE and Community Showcase Day will transport visitors back to the 1940s with music, dance and family fun, celebrating Banff’s heritage and bringing the town together to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
Chairman of the Banff Castle Community Association John Cox said: “We are extremely grateful to Awards for All for supporting this important event, which will not only celebrate our shared history but also bring visitors to Banff and the surrounding area, boosting the local economy.
“We hope the day will be filled with nostalgia, community spirit and plenty of opportunities for people to get involved."
The event will feature a line-up of live performances, including The McAndrew Sisters, a trio inspired by the Andrews Sisters, whose swing and boogie-woogie hits lifted wartime spirits.
Paul Thorpe will also take to the stage, bringing his GI Blues act as Elvis, paying tribute to military themes shaped by World War Two experiences.
Adding to the entertainment will be local dance groups and Skip 2 the Beat will perform.
A feature of the event will be the screening of RAF Banff Strike Wing, a film showcasing rare and previously unseen wartime footage, including colour film of the De Havilland Mosquito.
Produced by the RAF Strike Wing Memorial Trust, it includes the newsreel Ship-Busters, gun camera footage and the dramatic survival of a Mosquito that returned to Banff with a ship’s mast embedded in its fuselage.
Beyond the main performances, there will be plenty of family-friendly activities, including a children’s 1940s-themed fancy dress parade.
Guests are encouraged to embrace the spirit of the event by arriving in vintage-style outfits, adding to the atmosphere of the day.
Organisers will be contacting local charity shops and businesses to help people create authentic 1940s looks and hope to involve hairdressers in offering on-the-day wartime hairstyling.
In the lead-up to the event, businesses will be invited to participate by displaying notices in their shop windows showing what goods were available under wartime rationing.
Banff Castle will tape its windows in a criss-cross pattern, just as was done during the war to prevent shattering, and businesses will be encouraged to do the same.
This initiative aims to create a towns-wide experience, drawing more visitors to Banff and Macduff, supporting local shops and cafés and ensuring the wider community benefits from the event.
The association said the Banff Castle VE and Community Showcase Day promises to be a memorable, interactive celebration of history, culture and community spirit – an event not to be missed.
Tickets are available now at Eventbrite and veterans, military personnel and those born before 1945 will receive free entry.
