- Over £430,000 has been awarded to 130 community groups and
local authorities by the Ministry of Defence to host Armed Forces
Day celebrations this year
- Applications for funding are up 50%, as the MOD ramps up work
to reconnect society with the Armed Forces following the
Strategic Defence Review
- More than 230 Armed Forces Day events will take place right
across the United Kingdom this summer – an increase of 14% on
2025
Community groups will be able to bring the public together with
serving Armed Forces personnel, veterans, reservists and cadets
this summer thanks to £430,000 in grant funding awarded by the
Ministry of Defence.
The grants have been awarded to 130 community groups and local
authorities to mark Armed Forces Day on 27 June, and come as part
of the Ministry of Defence's work to boost the number of events
taking place this year in line with the Strategic Defence
Review's call to reconnect communities with the military, and to
encourage a whole-of-society approach to defence.
Defence Secretary MP said:
"Our Armed Forces make extraordinary sacrifices to keep us safe
and we are deeply proud of the skill and courage they show every
day.
"With even more successful grant applications this year, the
momentum is building for a brilliant Armed Forces Day.
"I want to see people turning out in force this June to thank our
personnel and their families who support them and get a real
insight into how they keep us safe 24/7."
Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Rich Knighton
said:
“The support of the public matters deeply to the Armed Forces
community. Seeing the country come together to host these events
shows how much what we do matters to the public.”
The MOD has received 130 successful applications for grants – a
50% increase in funded events compared to last year.
More than 230 events have been added to the national map on the
Armed Forces Day website – 14% more than in 2025.
Events planned for 2026 include major city gatherings, community
sports days and large-scale civic celebrations such as those in
Manchester and Portsmouth.
Members of the public can use the searchable map on the Armed
Forces Day website to find an event in their community: http://www.armedforcesday.org.uk.
The Ministry of Defence provides a contribution of up to £10,000
per event to assist with the costs of hosting an Armed Forces Day
celebration. The final funding total will be finalised after
Armed Forces Day when organisations submit records of their event
expenditure.
This year's Armed Forces Day national event will take place in
Aldershot and Farnborough on Saturday 27 June.
The national event is supported by a separate £50,000 grant from
the Ministry of Defence and will feature military bands, parades
and kit demonstrations.
The MOD has also invited towns and cities across the United
Kingdom to apply to host the 2027 national event.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- For more information on Armed Forces Day and to find a local
event, visitwww.armedforcesday.org.uk
- This year, 130 applications for Armed Forces Day national
events were successful, drawing on a disbursed funding total of
£430,440
- For media enquiries regarding the national event or the grant
scheme, please contact the MOD press office at DDC-PR-Events@mod.gov.uk
- The list of funded Armed Forces Day events includes:
-
- “The Big Day Out” Celebrating Armed Forces Day at
Craiglockhart Campus
- Aberdeen Armed Forces Day Parade 2026
- Andover Armed Forces Day
- Armed Forces Day North East Lincolnshire Weekend 2026
- Armed Forces Day – Hull
- Armed Forces Day – Jersey
- Armed Forces Day – Stanley
- Armed Forces Day at the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre
- Armed Forces Day at the Soldiers of the Oxfordshire
Museum 2026
- Armed Forces Day – Brackley
- Armed Forces Day – Bridgend
- Armed Forces Day Folkestone 2026
- Armed Forces Day Parade – Rushcliffe
- Armed Forces Day Picnic on the Green – Brackley
- Armed Forces Family Fun Day
- Armed Forces Family Fun Day – Charnwood Borough Council
- Armed Forces Family Fun Day – Mansfield
- Armed Forces Proms in the Park – Kettering
- Armed Forces Together – Julie Rose Stadium
- Armed Forces, Families and Veterans Day – Spalding
- Bedworth Armed Forces Day
- Bognor Regis Armed Forces Day
- Bournemouth Bobcats Armed Forces Game
- Bracknell Forest Armed Forces Day
- Brechin Armed Forces Together Angus Day
- Bridlington Armed Forces Day 2026
- Camberley Armed Forces Day Celebrations
- Cambridge Armed Forces Day
- Canvey Island Armed Forces Day 2026
- Castleford Tigers Armed Forces Event
- Catterick Armed Forces Day Celebration
- Charnwood Salutes the Armed Forces
- Chatham Armed Forces Day 2026
- Churchill & Langford Armed Forces Day 2026
- City of Doncaster Armed Forces Day Celebration 2026
- City of Wolverhampton Armed Forces Day
- Coleraine Armed Forces Day 2026
- Consett, SMARTT Veterans Armed Forces Day
- Coventry City's Armed Forces Day – Service and Parade
- Crowthorne Armed Forces Celebration Dance
- Dacorum Armed Forces Day
- Dorothy House Hospice Armed Forces Celebration
- Dumfries House Dog Show in support of Armed Forces Day by
the King's Foundation and Bravehound
- East Grinstead Armed Forces Day
- East Kilbride – Armed Forces/Family Fun Day
- Eastbourne Armed Forces Day
- Eckington Armed Forces Day
- Edinburgh Armed Forces Day
- Ercall Magna Armed Forces Day 2026
- Faversham in the 40s Celebrates Armed Forces Day
- Fawley Armed Forces Village
- Ferryhill Armed Forces Day Party in the Park
- Glasgow Armed Forces Day
- GTAS Armed Forces Day Celebration 2026
- Hartlepool Armed Forces Day
- Havant Armed Forces Day
- Himley Hall Armed Forces Day
- Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council
- Hook Armed Forces Day
- Isle of Man Armed Forces Day 2026
- Isle of Wight Armed Forces Day
- Keighley Armed Forces Day
- Kettering Armed Forces Day
- Kingston Armed Forces Day Celebration
- Lancaster and Morecambe District Armed Forces Weekend
- Leeds Armed Forces Day 2026
- Llanelli Armed Forces Day Community Breakfast
- Lowestoft Armed Forces Day 2026
- Maldon Armed Forces Day
- Manchester Armed Forces Day – A Big Thank You 2026
- Mansfield Armed Forces Day
- Military vs Cancer Armed Forces Day Rugby Event,
Doncaster
- Mistley Community Armed Forces Day
- Mumbles Armed Forces Day
- National Memorial Arboretum Armed Forces Weekend
- North Kesteven Armed Forces Week events
- North Lincolnshire Armed Forces Day 2026
- Oakengates Supports Armed Forces Day
- Padiham Armed Forces on Parade
- Plymouth Armed Forces Day 2026
- Portsmouth Armed Forces Day
- Prudhoe Armed Forces Day
- Raise the Flag for Armed Forces Day
- Reading Armed Forces Day
- Redcar & Cleveland Armed Forces Day
- Royal Wootton Bassett Armed Forces Day 2026
- Salisbury Armed Forces Day
- Salisbury Plain Armed Forces Day
- Sandwell Armed Forces Day
- Scarborough Armed Forces Day 2026
- Shake and Stir Armed Forces Weekend 2026 – Torbay
- Solihull Armed Forces Celebration Day
- South Gloucestershire Armed Forces Day
- South Tyneside Armed Forces Day
- Southport Armed Forces Festival 2026
- Spennymoor Family Fun Day supporting Armed Forces Week
- Stamford Armed Forces Day
- Stockton-on-Tees Armed Forces Day
- Stoke-on-Trent Armed Forces Day
- Suffolk Armed Forces Day
- Summer Fayre with Armed Forces and Pipes in the Park
- Sunderland Armed Forces Weekend
- Swindon Armed Forces Day
- Take Shelter and Brighton & Hove Armed Forces Day
- Tameside Armed Forces Day 2026
- The Armed Forces Bigger Breakfast – Coventry
- The Medbourne Classic Armed Forces Day
- The Soldier: An Armed Forces Day Community Project
- Thurso Armed Forces Day
- Armed Forces Day – Oakengates
- Armed Forces Day – Wem
- Torbay Armed Forces Day
- Torquay Armed Forces Veterans Breakfast Club
- Uttoxeter Armed Forces Day Community Event
- Wakefield Armed Forces Day
- Wales National Armed Forces Day
- Walsall Armed Forces Day 2026
- Wandsworth Armed Forces Day
- Warrington Armed Forces Day
- Warrington Armed Forces Day Commemoration
- Wellington Armed Forces Day Celebration
- Wem Armed Forces Celebration
- Weston-super-Mare Armed Forces & Emergency Services
Day
- Weymouth Armed Forces Weekend 2026
- Wigan Borough Armed Forces Day 2026
- Workington Armed Forces Day 2026
- Worksop Armed Forces Weekend
- Wymondham Armed Forces Day Celebrations
- Armed Forces Day – Doncaster
- Armed Forces Day – Keighley
