Over 1,000 boats assemble for the Thames Jubilee Pageant, a highlight of the June weekend Diamond Jubilee celebrations to mark the Queen's 60 years on the throne. From Saturday 2nd to Tuesday 5th June 2012 London will bring out the bunting as revellers enjoy a packed programme of Jubilee themed events including festivals, pageantry, processions, a concert at Buckingham Palace, one very Big Lunch, and the most magnificent flotilla seen in centuries. Download our PDF of the Diamond Jubilee.
On Sunday 3rd June 2012 The Queen will lead a flotilla of up to one thousand boats from the UK, the Commonwealth and around the World for The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, an event which promises to be one of the major focal points of the celebrations held on the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend (Click here for our main Thames Jubilee Pageant feature). The flotilla, expected to measure 7 and a half miles from end to end, will be the largest fleet of ships to be assembled on the River Thames in 350 years, continuing a royal tradition which dates back to 1533 when Anne Boleyn travelled by boat for her coronation. Over one million people are expected to line the banks of the Thames to witness the pageant which will include a diverse mix of the historic and the modern with rowed boats, sailing ships, steamers, wooden launches, canoes and Kayaks all decorated for the occasion. Thames piers, riverside roads and bridges will be closed to traffic and there will be up to fifty big screens along the route - which runs from Putney Bridge to Tower Bridge - so members of the public can enjoy the pageant from a variety of vantage points. For families and others with children, Battersea Park is a good place to go where there will be music, a traditional funfair and special entertainment (see below) laid on.
On the day of the Queen's Thames Diamond Jubilee River Pageant, Battersea Park will be host to a family friendly Jubilee Festival featuring vintage music, dance, crafts, funfair and a multitude of other entertainments. Beginning at 12 noon, in anticipation of the flotilla, and continuing until 7pm, the Diamond Jubilee Festival at Battersea Park will feature a diamond geezer pop-up pub - where every self-respecing pearly king and queen will be for a right old knees-up - and a diamond encrusted giant cake stand that will take over 1,000 diamond jubilee themed cakes which will be served with tea throughout the afternoon. Cake specialists Konditor and Cook have even created a pixelated portrait of the Queen made of 3,120 cakes, one for each week of her reign. The festival, which has been organised by designer Wayne Hemingway and artist Clare Patey who curated Feast on the Bridge for the Thames Festival, will be a memorable celebration of the Diamond Jubilee through a timeline of the six decades of the Queen's reign with music, dancing, design and plenty of opportunities for dressing up - from vintage fashions to Morris dancing. There'll be a village fete, storytelling, outdoor cinema, old fashioned steam fair, fancy dress flotilla on the Boating Lake, and a mini-musuem of royal memorabilia at the park's Pump House Gallery.
Sainsbury's is hosting a two day festival in Hyde Park this summer to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Visitors will be treated to live music and entertainment at The Jubilee Family Festival, with the highlight being a 70 minute 'Magic of Disney' finale on both days comprised of Disney songs and characters. Promoter Harvey Goldsmith is organising the festival, which will feature a full programme of activities including celebrity performers, equestrian events, death-defying motorbike stunts and kids' television characters. Headline acts include special performances from BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing and The National Theatre's War Horse as well as appearances from Myleene Klass and impressionist Jon Culshaw. With seven giant screens showing live coverage of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on Sunday, crowds in the park will also be able to view the royal celebrations extending to the Queen's procession to St Paul's on Tuesday 5th June. The festival will showcase Britain throughout the decades, with street performers, orchestral recitals, military displays and Commonwealth dancers.
Tables will be set up along the length of Piccadilly in celebration of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee on Sunday 3rd June, one of many London streets that will be closed to traffic as The Big Jubilee Lunch brings neighbours together for some food, entertainment and plenty of patriotic flag waving. Piccadilly's famous shops and restaurants including [The Big Lunch website]{http://www.londontown.com/LondonInformation/Restaurant/The_Ritz/f665/"The Ritz, Fortnum and Mason and The Wolseley are taking in part in one of the biggest Big Lunch events in London. Added to this will be the local street parties - expect to see road blockades and bouncy castles as roads are shut and tables put up for The Big Jubilee Lunch. The event takes place on Sunday 3rd June, the weekend when we get two back-to-back Bank Holidays on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th June, so even if your big lunch turns into a late night party you'll have a few days to recover. If you want to organise your own Big Jubilee Lunch go to
Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Cliff Richard and Sir Tom Jones are joined by Shirley Bassey, Madness, Annie Lennox, JLS and Jessie J as well as a host of other A-list stars for a very special concert Diamond Jubilee Concert outside Buckingham Palace on Monday 4th June 2012. Gary Barlow, one of the organisers, has put together a fitting line-up of rock royalty - including Alfie Boe, Jools Holland, Lang Lang and Ed Sheeran - to mark the Queen's 60th year on the throne and ten thousand lucky people will get free tickets to see the concert live. The five thousand who successfully get a ticket through the ballot will be able to invite a friend, bringing the total to double that. There's also the potential for another 500,000 people to join in the fun in St James's Park and Green Park and The Mall where you can watch the show on giant screens. The concert will also be televised live on BBC1 and Radio 2 for everyone to enjoy at home.
STOP PRESS: Watch video coverage the entire Jubilee Concert and in particular the remarkable fireworks finale. For the entire 3 hour 20 minute concert cick here
A network of more than 4,000 beacons will be lit across the globe as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Beacons which takes place on Monday 4th June 2012 marking The Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The Queen herself is taking part, lighting the National Beacon in London after the televised BBC Concert at Buckingham Palace. At 10.30pm, she will place a crystal glass diamond into a special pod, triggering the lighting of the last beacon in The Mall where thousands of people are expected to gather for the concert. Elsewhere in London, beacons will be lit on the battlements of the Tower Of London, St James's Palace, and Lambeth Palace as well as smaller venues including the roof of Hammersmith Town Hall, the art mound in Mile End Park and the Garden Bar in Notting Hill. There is a long tradition of lighting beacons to mark royal occasions: in 1897, beacons were lit to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee - the only other British monarch to mark a Diamond anniversary; and in 1977 and 2002 beacons were also lit to celebrate the Silver and Golden Jubilees of The Queen. The London beacons will be lit at the same time as beacons at the Palace of Holyrood House Edinburgh, Killyleagh Castle in Northern Ireland, and on top of Pen Y Fan Mountain, Wales. Sixty beacons are being lit along the length of Hadrian's Wall, each representing a year in the life of the Queen's reign.
On Tuesday 5th June 2012 The Queen and other members of the Royal Family will attend a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, with a formal carriage procession and an RAF flyby bringing The Queen's Diamond Jubilee weekend celebrations to an end. The service, conducted by the Dean of St Paul's and the Archbishop of Canterbury, will include a special prayer and a young choir created especially for the occasion after which The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will attend a short reception at Mansion House before joining other members of the royal family at Westminster Hall for a special lunch. Wellwishers can see the Queen in the 1902 State Landau travelling in a formal carriage procession when the royal family leaves the Palace of Westminster for Buckingham Palace. There will be all the pomp and ceremony you'd expect for such a unique occasion with representatives of the three military services lining the streets, military bands and a 60 gun salute during the carriage procession. An RAF Flypast and a celebratory cascade of rifle fire will create a rousing finale to the long weekend as the Queen and her family make a final appearance on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will begin her Diamond Jubilee celebrations by attending The Investec Derby at Epsom on 2nd June 2012, on the second day of the famous race meeting, one of the oldest and greatest fixtures in the international racing calendar. On Derby Day, the day the Queen will attend, the big race offers prize money of over a million pounds and attracts crowds approaching 100,000. The Queen arrives by carriage, followed by thousands of spectators in their best togs, ready to enjoy the racing which gets underway at 2pm sharp. Last year, Mickael Barzalona riding French trained Pour Moi won the Investec Derby with The Queen's horse, the 5-2 favourite Carlton House, coming in fourth - she'll be hoping she can improve on that in 2012 to mark her special 60th anniversary.
Celebrate 60 years of Queen Elizabeth II with an evening of rousing favourites performed by celebrated English tenor Russell Watson. Taking place in the magnificent Royal Albert Hall, the Gala will include classics such as Land of Hope and Glory, We'll Meet Again, You'll Never Walk Alone, Jerusalem, Greensleeves, Men of Harlech and Rule, Brittania! and features soprano Natasha Marsh, the Royal Choral Society and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Jae Alexander will conduct this fabulous assortment of British favourites in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Enjoy music from the 1950s and a traditional tea in the gardens of England's first purpose-built public art gallery, Dulwich Picture Gallery gardens, where there will be croquet on the lawn and short tours of the gallery's permanent collection, a fine example of European old master paintings of the 1600s and 1700s. Visit the gallery and you'll be following in the footsteps of the royals who recently visited - pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge, her father-in-law the Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla when they visited the south east London in March this year will also be on display. While at the gallery they looked at the work being carried out by The Price's Foundation for Children and the Arts and met children taking part in the Great Art Quest, a project which introduces young children to art by partnering them with local galleries and artists.They also watched youngsters painting pictures submitted to the Face Britain project, which will be part of a giant montage of the Queen projected onto Buckingham Palace as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Celebrating the Queen's 60 years as Head of The Commonwealth, the Royal Commonwealth Society is hosting a Jubilee Party on Friday 1st June 2012 with Commonwealth themed food, drinks and music and entertainment from some special guests. The BBC World Service will be joining in the fun, broadcasting Have Your Say live from the party so you can see the programme being made while you're there. Founded in 1868 as an international meeting place, the Royal Commonwealth Society has been a centre for debate and exchange of ideas for close to 150 years and continues that work through its wide range of youth projects, charitable activities, talks and public events. They are also behind the Jubilee Time Capsule, an online capsule that gives people across the globe the chance to create a digital Diamond Jubilee gift for the Queen. All you have to do is pick a day in the last 60 years and explain why it's important to you.
Appropriately, the Jubilee Gardens reopen on the Diamond Jubilee weekend, 2nd to 5th June seems a good time revisit the garden which was originally created in 1977 to celebrate The Queen's Silver Jubilee. The Southbank Centre gives plenty more reasons to visit with a variety of Jubilee themed activities and events, many of which are free. Diamond Decades on 2 June, for example, gives visitors a chance to dance to favourite hits from the last 60 years, for free. There's free crafting where you get to make a flower or flag to decorate a giant corgi sculpture that will take over The Clore Ballroom (5 June), and their regular ballroom dancing event gets a patriotic twist on Monday 3 June with Strictly Jubilee Ballroom where visitors are invited to dress in red, white and blue. The weekend also features a special homage to Frank Sinatra, with Paul Holgate and his band playing Sinatra songs 60 years after the exact date of his televised Royal Festival Hall show as part his 1962 world tour.
The regular Saturday night out presented by Christian Laing of Buttoned Down Disco fame gets a Jubilee twist on 2nd June as the Shake, Rattle & Bowl DJs spin top tunes and party anthems to celebrate the Queen's 60th anniversary - that's six decades of top tunes to choose from. After a long running residency at Bloomsbury Lanes, this popular retro clubnight has moved to All Star Lanes, Bloomsbury in Holborn where there's a nice big dancefloor, a cool diner and four bowling lanes, and entry is now free - which is a bonus!
A beacon will be lit on top of Hammersmith Town Hall on Monday 4th June, along with around 4,000 other beacons around the world as part of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Beacons. This is just one of the many Jubilee events being staged in the West London borough on the first weekend in June which will also see big screens erected in Lyric Square, Furnivall Gardens and Bishops Park for the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on Sunday 3rd June. If you want to see the 1,000-strong flotilla of boats in person, Furnivall Gardens and Bishops Park are the places to go with both waterside parks offering good viewing opportunities along the river. Both parks will have big screens showing the whole pageant, funfairs, food stalls, brass bands, and plenty of other entertainment. Although it's not part of the main pageant route, Hammersmith is a mustering point so it's a good place to see the boats gather for what will surely be a picturesque sight next to the iconic Hammersmith Bridge. And this section of river has more than its fair share of decent pubs where you can enjoy a pint - The Dove is a particular favourite. Or head to nearby Riverside Studios where they will be lighting up the BBQ on the terrace - first come, first served.
Jubilee Jamboree in Mile End Park
Mile End Park free family fun day culminates with a fire themed evening event.
Mile End Park in Tower Hamlets is one of the thousands of locations where a beacon will be lit as part of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Beacons but just one of a handful of places in London where you can see a beacon being lit. Before the lighting of the beacon at 10.30pm there's a whole day of entertainment and activities to enjoy in the local area on Bank Holiday Monday, 4th June 2012. The free family fun day begins at 1.30pm and includes funfair rides, face painting, story telling, arts and crafts, and sports activities. In the evening, from around 8.30pm, there will be a fire themed event culminating with the Mayor of Tower Hamlets lighting the beacon at 10.30pm at the art mound in the park.
Nestled in a tiny space in Borough Market the only wine shop in the world which specialises in English wines will host a special English Wine Festival to mark the Diamond Jubilee. The English theme extends beyond the wine on offer as The Wine Pantry have teamed up with traders from Borough Market to fly the flag for English produce. In exchange for your £10 ticket you'll be treated to cucumber sandwiches, jellied eels, British cheese, scones, new season English asparagus and, that perennial favourite, strawberries and cream. Bunting, corgies and the W.I. ladies will also be out in force. The first 500 to arrive will be greeted with their commemorative wine glass and tokens to sample five different wines from all over the UK, including some English reds. For further information or to purchase tickets, please go to the website: www.winepantry.co.uk/Jubilee-English-Wine-Festival, drop into the shop, call Julia Stafford on 07868 704 756 or email her at julia@winepantry.co.uk.
Enjoy a glass of Pommery Brut Royal Champagne, a selection of teas and soft drinks and watch the spectacle of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant from the comfort of a pod on board the London Eye, giving you a bird's eye view of the Queen and the 1,000+ boats from the top. The special London Eye Diamond Jubilee Afternoon Tea Experience package includes a menu of treats including sandwiches, Scotch eggs, cakes and homemade scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. You'll also enjoy a 30 minute circuit on the London Eye, priority boarding and entry to the 4D Experience as well as a complimentary View 360 Guide for each guest. The Jubilee Afternoon Tea Experience is available daily throughout the Jubilee weekend, from Saturday 2nd June to Tuesday 5th June at 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm and 4.30pm but the most coveted tickets will be on Sunday 3rd June, the day of the Thames Pageant.
Eight floors up, the iconic OXO Tower restaurant with its neon sign visible above the South Bank and reflected in the River Thames, is an obvious choice for watching the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant - so it comes as no surprise that all tables for Sunday 3rd June are fully booked. There are still places available, however, for their Diamond Jubilee Weekend celebrations which kick off with live music in the restaurant and brasserie on Saturday 2nd June. What better way to ease into the long weekend than with an afternoon spent listening to acoustic jazz and swinging retro lounge music, courtesy of Ray Gallo's quartet (in the restaurant) and Caroline Loftus and her five piece band in the brasserie. Then, on Monday 4th June, the day of the Concert at Buckingham Palace and the Diamond Jubilee Beacons, the OXO Tower gives customers the chance to light their own beacons, enjoy dinner and listen to the OXO's favourite resident musicians.
The eco friendly Hotel Rafayel takes advantage of its riverside setting in Battersea and offers all day dining packages on its roof terrace from where you can get a great view of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. Book in for breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea and watch one of the biggest flotillas the Thames has ever seen set off, with over a thousand boats starting out from Battersea Bridge - the area from where the pageant officially begins. Open for bookings from 9am to 7pm, the Hotel Rafayel is offering several packages, each costing £75 per person for which you not only get wonderful views but you can also join in the fun at the Diamond Jubilee Festival at nearby Battersea Park before or after enjoying your meal.
The Skylounge, the lounge and bar at the DoubleTree Hilton Tower of London, is open to non-guests on Sunday 3rd June, the day of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. Visitors can enjoy views from its huge roof terraces taking in the 1,000 strong flotilla with the iconic Tower Bridge, its two halves raised for the duration of the pageant, in the background. The hotel's catering team have come up with a special Afternoon Tea and cocktail for the occasion including sandwiches filled with Jubilee chicken - instead of Coronation chicken - roast English beef, smoked salmon and British teatime favourite, cucumber and cream cheese. There's Earl Grey opera cake wrapped in an edible £10 note, Victoria sponge, rhubarb mousse, and a special jelly containing the Queen's favourite tipple - gin and Dubonnet. But it's the fantastic Thames views that are the real attraction, especially worth seeing on Diamond Jubilee Pageant day.
Major General's Review
One of two dress rehearsals for the Queen's Birthday Parade.
Major General's Review
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The Major General's Review which takes place at Horse Guards Parade on Saturday 2 June 2012 coincides with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee weekend this year. It is one of two rehersal reviews carried out before The Queen's Birthday Parade on 16 June 2012. It's free to view but you do need a ticket - apply in advance by sending your ticket requirements to: The Brigade Major, Headquarters Household Division, Horse Guards, Whitehall, London SW1A 2AX. Even if you haven't booked tickets you can still see some of the parade as it passes by St James's Park and The Mall on the way to Horse Guards Parade - although some areas will be restricted due to preparations for the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. And if you miss this rehearsal you can always see The Colonel's Review on Saturday 9th June 2012 when tickets are £10 per seat, applications should be sent to the address above.