Liverpool is hosting the national commemoration to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
More than 1,600 people including survivors of the Holocaust and more recent genocides will attend a service at the city's Philharmonic Hall.
The event in the European Capital of Culture falls on the anniversary of the 1945 liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
Among those attending will be the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, the Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears.
Former BBC war correspondent and independent MP Martin Bell and Liverpudlian actor Jason Isaacs, who plays Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, will also be present.
The programme will include personal testimony from survivors and relatives, poetry, music and speeches.
More than 2,000 schools across the UK are expected to hold events to mark the day.
Christine Shaw, of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust said: "On Holocaust Memorial Day, we reflect on the lessons society can learn from the Holocaust and other genocides in an effort to tackle the intolerance and prejudice that still exists in the UK today.
"There has been huge interest from all over the UK and it is wonderful to see the commitment of so many sections of society in marking the day."
Martin Bell added: "Through my work as a war correspondent for the BBC, I have seen the extreme results that discrimination and prejudice can have when taken to their ultimate conclusion."
