Liberation cavalcade to have extra hour to stay on time

The route will start from Torteval Church at noon on 9 May. It will then head north along the west coast to Pembroke, where it will be joined with more vehicles, which will drive down the east coast, before ending in Town.

More than 100 military vehicles, classic cars and tractors are expected to take part in the event, which will end in a static display in Town at 3pm.

In previous years there have been some issues with keeping to the schedule, due to the number and historic nature of the vehicles.

There will be live tracking this year, and the timings for the route have also been stretched out.

A very similar route was operated last year, but it started at 1pm and was due to finish at 3pm. While last year ran largely on time, previous years, with longer routes, have led to some longer delays.

Liberation Day cavalcade director Jeff Vidamour said it was one of the most popular parts of the day’s celebrations.

‘It is a wonderful event to be part of, and the vehicle owners enjoy it as much as the people who line the route, waving their flags and cheering us past,’ he said.

This year’s cavalcade is being supported by the building firm CA Duquemin, which is celebrating 100 years of business this year.

CA Duquemin managing director David Duquemin said 100 years of business was a significant milestone.

‘We were keen to support something that would be a fitting celebration of this and give something back to the community that we have been a part of for all those years,’ he said.

‘The opportunity to sponsor the cavalcade and be involved in Guernsey’s most important day seemed an obvious choice. The event takes the celebrations out to the parishes, brings joy to the community and enables so many islanders to be part of Liberation Day.’

Education, Sport & Culture member Sue Aldwell said the committee was pleased the event was returning for another year.

The cavalcade was resurrected during the pandemic and has quickly become a popular feature of Liberation Day.

Estimated cavalcade timings

Torteval Church 12pm

Imperial Hotel 12.15pm

L’Eree 12.20pm

Perelle 12.30pm

Vazon 12.40pm

Cobo 1.05pm

L’Islet 1.15pm

Vale Church 1.20pm

Pembroke 1.30pm

Bordeaux 2.25pm

The Bridge 2.30pm

Halfway 2.40pm

Weighbridge 2.50pm

St Peter Port seafront 3pm

Static display 3-5pm

• For more information about the route and other activities on Liberation Day, visit liberationday.gg or follow regular updates on Facebook.