NATO’s anniversary: 9 of the most original celebrations over the years

Since NATO was founded on 4 April 1949, the Alliance has marked many milestone anniversaries with an array of unique celebrations. From a documentary film to a horse jumping contest and music performances, these commemorations have honoured NATO’s enduring relevance and fostered a sense of community among its member countries. Read on to discover the most original celebrations that NATO has marked its birthday over the decades!

1959 – The NATO Song for the 10th anniversary

For the Alliance’s 10th anniversary on 4 April 1959, the NATO Information Service worked with the national governments of the 15 NATO Allies to coordinate public communications marking NATO’s birthday. The United States government worked with an advertising agency to launch a publicity campaign, which included commissioning “The NATO Song” by Bing Crosby. Preserved in The Crosby Archive, the surviving recording of the studio session offers a glimpse into how the song was created, featuring multiple takes and discussions between the sound engineers and the producers. The song serves as a reminder to the citizens of NATO Allies that the Alliance has safeguarded their peace and security since 1949, and would continue to uphold these values in the future:

Ten years have passed since people lived in fear and dread
When hope and independence died, and dark aggression spread
Then NATO went on guard and free men ceased to yield
We live again in peace and strength behind the NATO shield.

Learn more about “The NATO Song”.
 

1959 – NATO commemorative stamps for the 10th anniversary

To mark NATO’s anniversary, nine NATO Allies (Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Türkiye and the United States) issued a variety of commemorative stamps in 1959.

Read about the history of NATO stamps.




 

1959 –The NATO Talking Book for the 10th anniversary

Another commemorative item produced for the 10th anniversary was the ”NATO Talking Book”. This publication included short essays about NATO’s purpose and its accomplishments from leaders such as US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, French President Charles de Gaulle and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. Besides their contributions, the project housed voice recordings with messages from NATO Secretary General Paul-Henry Spaak, Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Lauris Norstad, Dutch Foreign Minister Joseph Luns and the UK Permanent Representative to NATO, Sir Frank Roberts. The book intended to introduce NATO to the general public, presenting the basic principles of NATO membership, decision-making processes and the Alliance’s political-military structure. It also included period advertisements for various services and companies.

Unfortunately, there are no surviving voice recordings of the “NATO Talking Book”. But you can read the text here.
 

1974 – The horse jumping contest for the 25th anniversary

During NATO’s 25th anniversary year, the NATO Riding Club arranged a horse jumping contest in Overijse, Belgium on 15 and 16 July 1974. This event, one of the many silver anniversary celebrations that year, showcased the equestrian skills of participants from various NATO member countries, fostering a sense of camaraderie and friendly competition. 

The goal was to reach people that had no or little contact with NATO. In addition to international participants, such as from the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) and the European Economic Community (EEC), 60 riding clubs from the Belgian province of Brabant were invited to join the jumping contest. The Brabant province (which was later split into Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and the Brussels-Capital Region) has a rich tradition for equestrians – the Brabant horse breed, known as the Belgian Draught Horse, originates from the area. The breed is famous for its muscular build, remarkable strength and gentle nature, adding to the province’s equestrian legacy. 

1979 –The NATO film “Lives” for the 30th anniversary

In 1979, NATO produced a short documentary film called “Lives”. The movie portrays five families from various countries of the Alliance: the family of an Italian Navy officer, a German school instructor, a Danish scientist, a UK civil servant working at NATO on arms control and disarmament, and a US Navy pilot. Although coming from different backgrounds and facing unique challenges, the families presented in the movie stand for a common commitment to NATO and its values of peace and security.

1989 – The Atlantic Hymn and the NATO anthem for the 40th anniversary

As part of the Alliance’s 40th anniversary celebrations in 1989, the Luxembourg Military Band (La Musique Militaire Grand-Ducale du Luxembourg) performed a ‘NATO anthem’ composed by its director, Captain André Reichling. The composition, scored for 20 musical instruments, was successful and became a popular choice for NATO events, essentially becoming NATO’s unofficial hymn for almost 30 years. On 3 January 2018, the North Atlantic Council approved it as the official ‘ NATO Hymn’.

At the same ceremony in 1989, a large NATO choir performed another piece of music: the “Atlantic Hymn”, by the Portuguese composer José Ludovice with lyrics by Ramiro Guedes de Campos. Composed in 1952, this piece was the only choral work explicitly written for NATO.

1999 –A retro NATO Test of Knowledge for the 50th anniversary

For NATO’s golden anniversary in 1999, a (for the 1990s) innovative online Test of Knowledge game and competition was organised by the North Atlantic Assembly (the association of legislators from NATO member countries, now known as the NATO Parliamentary Assembly). The retro website game and competition was open to students from NATO Allies and Partnership for Peace (PfP) countries, with the winner receiving a EUR 1,000 prize and a trip to Warsaw to attend a North Atlantic Assembly session. 

The game consisted of two rounds. The first round was relatively easy, testing basic knowledge about NATO, for instance What does “NATO” stand for? What is the founding document of NATO? When was it signed?. It included 10 questions, most of which were multiple-choice. Participants had to provide correct answers to all of them before they could move to the second round, but they could play as often as they wanted to get all 10 answers correct.

The second round was still fairly easy, but it had more questions. Participants had to answer 20 questions about the history and structure of the Alliance. All answers could be found online, on the NATO or Assembly websites. Participants who answered all questions correctly, could print a personalised certificate, and the winner was chosen from those who had achieved perfect scores. The competition was open until NATO’s 50th birthday, on 4 April 1999.
 

2008 – The train journey ahead of the 60th anniversary

In December 2008, in the run-up to the Alliance’s 60th anniversary on 4 April 2009, a special train followed the route of the famous Orient Express to carry the message that security and cooperation know no borders. The train, also called the “GLOBSEC Express”’, started running already in 2007 as a project pioneered by the Slovak Atlantic Commission and Euro Atlantic Centre with NATO’s support, and aimed to give youth from Central and South-Eastern Europe an informal space to discuss NATO’s integration and security issues. On 8 December 2008, the train departed from Zagreb, Croatia with 30 young people from 11 countries from South-Eastern Europe. On the 31-hour journey that ended in Istanbul, Türkiye, the participants held discussions with NATO experts about the Euro-Atlantic integration of NATO’s newest member countries and the role of the Alliance in the region. This symbolic journey passed through several countries participating in NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme at the time, including Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia.

2019 –The concert by the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra for the 70th anniversary

On 6 November 2019, to celebrate NATO’s 70th anniversary year, NATO Headquarters came to life with the music of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. The first concert to be held in the Alliance’s newly constructed headquarters opened with the NATO Hymn, followed by Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. The concert concluded with a light-hearted rendition of “Happy Birthday”. The performance struck a chord with over 700 spectators from dozens of countries, proving that the language of music is universal.

Other initiatives for the 70th anniversary:

‘NATO: 70 years in 70 seconds’ video

‘NATO Allies walk together’ video

2024 –NATO’s beer for the 75th anniversary

In 2024, a group of NATO employees decided to celebrate the anniversary with a unique project: NATO’s 75th anniversary beer. They partnered up with the Valmiermuiza brewery in Latvia, which was established in 1688 and almost destroyed during both World Wars, but resumed beer production in 2006. Using traditional ingredients and brewing processes, they created a special edition of amber lager called ‘Article 5’ to celebrate the collective defence clause at the heart of NATO’s founding treaty. The anniversary beverage was sold at the 2024 NATO Charity Bazaar at NATO Headquarters, with the proceeds going towards Belgian and international charities.