Lord Mayor's Show and Fireworks

As far as London's traditions go, the Lord Mayor's Show is a big hitter. Possibly the best known and certainly amongst the oldest, the celebrations surrounding the inaurgoration of the new Lord Mayor date back to the 16th century and have been referenced in Samuel Pepys's diaries and in art by Canaletto and Hogarth.

All you need to know is that 800 years of pageantry will result this November in a three and a half mile procession between Bank and Aldwych from 11am until around 2pm lead by the Band of the Coldstream Guards and featuring 7,000 performers from around the world, 200 horses, 150 floats, live music, drummers, dancers and costumes. The procession is over an hour long, tailed by the City's sanitation department.

A river pageant sets sail near Westminster Bridge at 8:30am, passing through Tower Bridge around 9:25. After several centuries the Lord Mayor's flotilla is back on the water and will carry the new Lord Mayor passing under Vauxhall, Lambeth, Westminster, Waterloo, Blackfriars, London and Tower bridges before finally disembarking at HMS President.

From 3pm City of London Guides take crowds on walking tours around London, before fireworks transform the London skyline at 5.15pm. It’s one of London’s most spectacular annual displays and you’ll be able to see the fireworks for miles, but for the best view head down to the riverside between Waterloo and Blackfriars Bridges, either on Victoria Embankment or on the South Bank.

This is a lovely event to nip along to if you have time, but for the best experience, book Grandstand seats alone the route for the Lord Mayor's show if you can still get tickets (they tend to sell out, fast).