Six candles light up Piccadilly Circus as UK marks Holocaust Memorial Day

Six giant digital candles illuminated London’s Piccadilly Circus on Tuesday evening, as the UK marked Holocaust Memorial Day with a nationwide moment of remembrance led by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

At 8pm, the iconic Piccadilly Lights billboard screens were transformed into flickering 3D candles, symbolising the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust. The installation formed the centrepiece of Light the Darkness, a coordinated national act of commemoration taking place across towns, cities and homes throughout the UK.

Holocaust survivors and survivors of the Cambodian, Rwandan and Darfur genocides gathered at Piccadilly Circus, alongside barrister and broadcaster Rob Rinder MBE and senior figures from the Trust, including chair Sir Sajid Javid and chief executive Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE, who lit candles together during the moment of silence.

Earlier in the day, Their Majesties lit a candle at Buckingham Palace, signalling royal support for Holocaust remembrance.

Across the country, households were encouraged to place candles in their windows at 8pm, while prominent buildings and landmarks were illuminated in purple. Sites taking part included the Houses of Parliament, City Hall, and the London Eye, Durham Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle, Cardiff Castle, Belfast City Hall and the Senedd in Cardiff, alongside dozens of civic buildings across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The campaign reached millions through a week-long digital billboard takeover in partnership with Ocean Outdoor, supported by JCDecaux, Global and Bauer Media. Many screens featured QR codes allowing passers-by to light a virtual candle and share the moment online. Radio adverts also ran across Global’s national stations, including LBC, Classic FM and Heart.

Speaking about the national moment, Olivia Marks-Woldman said: “Each year, we come together to remember the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust, and the millions more murdered under Nazi persecution. The Light the Darkness national moment is a poignant opportunity for us to come together to remember the darkness of the past and to create light together, standing united against antisemitism and all prejudice today.”

She added: “At a time when prejudice and antisemitism are on the rise, it is more important than ever that we, as a nation, come together to remember the past and build a better future, rooted in empathy, understanding and respect.”

Holocaust Memorial Day, marked annually on 27 January, commemorates the victims of the Holocaust and those murdered under Nazi persecution, as well as victims of subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.