When Winston Churchill declared a national holiday to celebrate Germany’s surrender, beer and bunting were paramount. First, the prime minister sought assurances there were enough beer supplies in the capital, then came the pronouncement that red, white and blue bunting could be purchased without using ration coupons. As the UK celebrates the 75th anniversary of VE Day on Friday, the pubs are shut, but the appetite to summon the spirit of patriotism in the form of union jack bunting and flags is just as keen, with sales booming ahead of physically distanced stay-at-home parties. “It’s gone absolutely crazy. We’ve been in business for 16 years, and I have never taken more orders in one day than I did on Friday,” said Antony Snow, the owner of Novelties Direct party accessories suppliers, who has been pulling all-nighters to get stock out in time He has run out of VE-themed bunting and hand-waving flags. His big VE Day flags went within about five minutes. Other websites are experiencing similar booming sales. The Cotton Bunting Company advises would-be buyers that its VE commemorative range has sold out. Midland Flags has sold all its special VE Day stock, though still has availability for Union Jack bunting. Party Pieces, owned by the Duchess of Cambridge’s parents, promises its Best of British Bunting range is “coming soon”. Not since the London Olympics, and the Queen’s diamond jubilee of 2012, has business been so buoyant, “and it wasn’t as busy as this”, said Snow . Back then, the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, , handed the capital’s boroughs £50,000 each for decorations to “help us put on the best show, and showcase ourselves to the world”. Not everyone, however, appeared to appreciate the flag-lined streets and memorabilia stalls that sprang up. Slave Labour, a Banksy artwork showing a barefoot boy using a sewing machine to stitch union flag bunting, appeared on a shop wall in Wood Green, in north-east London. The work was widely interpreted as a protest against the use of sweatshops to manufacture Olympics and jubilee memorabilia. Bunting, with its origins in pennants used for signalling on ships and thought to date from the 17th century, has long been part of national celebrations. Under normal circumstances, communal street parties and pubs marking VE Day would have been the biggest customers for bunting. Adjusted plans for the celebration due to the pandemic means these have been replaced with a whole host of separate, physically distanced picnics on front lawns. “More people are having their own party. They are doing it at home,” said Snow. “I think people need something to celebrate. They have been in their houses for six weeks, and it’s a good idea to have a little bit of a party.” Demand seems to have soared after the announcement last week of the government’s plans for the day, and the release of the BBC’s schedule of events to mark the occasion. This “flicked a switch” for many with whom the anniversary had perhaps not registered amid the coronavirus outbreak until now, Snow said. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is encouraging people to get into the spirit of the day and has produced a special template pack so the public can hold a 1940s-style afternoon tea party, complete with bunting, recipes, games and other educational and creative ideas. Meanwhile, the BBC’s Make a Difference campaign is asking everyone to show off their bunting using the hashtags #GreatBritishBunting and #VEDay75. For those who have left it too late to buy, there is a handy make-your-own bunting template using cereal boxes, ribbon, sweet wrappers, felt pens and poster paints.