Should attending D-Day commemoration ceremonies in Normandy, France, have been pinging on the travel radar for some time already, there’s perhaps no better year than this one to finally make it happen. With this year marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, regional authorities are pulling out all the stops to make this year’s program a memorable one. Add to that the fact that the veterans who took part in the military action of June 6, 1944, are by now well into their 90s at the least, the chance to take part in commemorations in the presence of firsthand witnesses is an ever-diminishing possibility.

There are many parts to this year’s D-Day Festival, to be celebrated June 1-16 throughout Normandy. The region still bears the scars from this moment in history, and each year, it remembers and pays tribute not only to veterans from the U.S., but those hailing from Britain, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland and Australia, as well as to France’s own men and women.

In addition to the solemn official ceremonies for heads of state and dignitaries, some activities will be accessible to the general public. One such program point comes at the beginning. On the night of Saturday, June 1, more than 20 huge fireworks displays will be launched from the five famed D-Day landing beaches — Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword — Allied code names given to beaches found along a 50-mile stretch of Normandy coast.

The official international ceremony to take place on Thursday, June 6, on Omaha Beach will be a high-level, invitation-only event attended by representatives of all Allied nations. For security reasons, many beaches and sectors will be cordoned off with no access to visitors or vehicles. A map on the Normandy tourism website illustrates the closed-off areas. Official ceremonies continue into the next day, when U.S. President Joe Biden will be attending an event in Cherbourg. Online: tinyurl.com/2pdzaef8

The Normandy American Cemetery will also be the site of a D-Day commemorative event on June 6. Access on the day to this cemetery overseen by the American Battle Monuments Commission is for ticket holders only. Although the ticket request portal has by now closed as capacity has been reached, the ABMC suggests would-be attendees monitor their website page for any updates. Family members of an individual buried or memorialized in the Normandy American Cemetery, or those traveling with a World War II veteran, can send an email to dday80@abmc.gov.

It’s also worth noting that in preparation to this event, the Normandy American Cemetery will be closed to the public throughout the day on June 5. On June 6, the property will be open only for the duration of the ceremony and solely to ticketed guests. Online: abmc.gov/d-day80

The D-Day Festival Normandy is the name given to an event organized annually between the end of May and into mid-June by the tourist offices of the landing beaches. Some 200 events, exhibitions and activities are slated to unfold along the coastline between Pegasus Bridge and Sainte-Mère-Eglise from June 1-16, from parades to balls to historical re-enactments. The following information represents only a small fraction of what’s on.

A “Picnic Concert of Freedom of Omaha Beach” is planned at Vierville-sur-Mere from 6 p.m. June 1. Five hours of concerts will help build anticipation for the day’s main event, the fireworks display scheduled for 11:30 p.m. Entry is free and no tickets are required.

A concert titled “Tribute to the Heroes” takes place at Sword Beach starting at 9 p.m. on June 1. Musical ensembles including a pipe band and soloists are on the program. Entry is free and no tickets are required.

“The Forgotten Heroes of Utah Beach,” a re-enactment of an air and sea landing including a demonstration by the Navy Seals accompanied by around 150 re-enactors and amphibious vehicles, is set to take place opposite the museum in Sainte-Marie-Du-Mont from 6 p.m. June 6.

France’s largest gathering of C-47 airplanes will take place in Gonneville-Le Theil June 6-9. Enthusiasts can enjoy watching these huge aircraft take off and land, particularly on June 9, when parachutists will jump into the surrounding marshes, weather permitting.

Grandchamp-Maisy is the site of the re-enactment of a 1940s-era village on June 8-9. More than 300 military vehicles, a wedding ceremony and more than 100 town residents dressed in period clothing will lend this event its special flavor.

An air show featuring the Patrouille de France and many vintage aircraft in the air and on the ground makes Arromanches-Les-Bains the place to be from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. June 8.

Mass parachute drops are on the agenda at La Fière, Sainte-Mère-Église from 9:45 a.m.-4 p.m. June 9. Parachutists dressed in period costume will jump from C-47s and other historical aircraft, followed by military troop drops. The drops will only take place if weather conditions allow for it.

A pdf copy of the entire program of events is available online at tinyurl.com/yybnh7pj.

A fortunate collision with another of France’s great events slated for the summer of 2024 will occur in Normandy on May 30-31, as the Olympic Torch Relay passes through Omaha Beach, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Sainte-Mère-Eglise, Saint-Lô and numerous other towns and villages. The Olympic Torch is presently making a 68-day tour through the various territories of France prior to the kickoff of the Olympic Games on July 26. Online: tinyurl.com/ya5un539