Queen’s Jubilee 2022: where to celebrate
Where to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday, plus the finest essentials if you’re hosting your own party…
Every pub, restaurant, supermarket and local leisure centre is doing something to celebrate the monumental occasion. Street parties up and down the country will see Union Jack bunting strung from lamp-posts, champagne flowing and tables laden with cucumber sandwiches, cakes and cream teas lining the pavements. In central London, museums, galleries and landmarks are putting on a cultural spread in honour of the Queen’s long reign.
Here’s where to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday, plus the finest essentials if you’re hosting your own party…
QUEEN'S PLATINUM JUBILEE: FAMILY EVENTS, LONDON
Platinum Jubilee Celebrations at the Old Royal Naval College
When: Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 June, events at various times
Where: Old Royal Naval College, King William Walk, London, England SE10 9NN
The bunting has been raised and the flags are flying all weekend at the Old Royal Naval College, where a programme of Platinum Jubilee events spanning free games on the lawns and Jubilee craft-making to royal tours and afternoon tea is taking place. Highlights include A Midsummer Faery Den (June 4 & 5), an interactive theatre production following on from Shakespeare’s woodland comedy; a pirate show, Submersion (June 2 & 3), featuring silks, aerial hoop and acro balance; The Queen Visits (June 2 - 5), an exhibition chronicling Her Majesty’s visits to the museum over the years; and Family Crafts (June 2 - 5), a royalty-themed crafts session.
Jubilee Dance Party
When: Saturday 4 June from 12pm
Where: Wembley Park
One of London's liveliest neighbourhoods, Wembley Park, joins forces with two big names in dance – Rambert, the UK's oldest dance company, and Pineapple, the Covent Garden dance studios that have hosted everybody who's somebody in dance – for a mega street party marking the Queen's Platinum Jubilee on Saturday 4 June.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Emblem
When: Wednesday 1 to Wednesday 15 June, 10am - 5:30pm
Where: Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
The V&A is showcasing the results of its Jubilee Emblem design competition, which invited aspiring designers aged 13 to 25 to design an emblem to both signify the Queen’s 70-year reign and capture the spirit of the national festivities. Come along to see the winning design by Edward Roberts, which has been presented to Her Majesty and will feature throughout the national celebrations.
London Eye: ‘The Queen’s Head’ Jubilee Pub Pod
When: Friday 27 May - Saturday 4 June, 12pm - 5pm
Where: London Eye, London SE1 7PB
Be a tourist in your own city and admire historic London landmarks from your very own regal, 50s time capsule. We’re talking about the London Eye, which has transformed one of its pods into ‘The Queen’s Head Jubilee Pub’. Book in for a 30-minute ride: sitting on a plush throne, surrounded by Monarch-themed memorabilia, you’ll soar above the streets, raising a royal cocktail (or two) to Her Majesty.
A Right Royal Docks Jubilee
When: Sunday 5 June - Relay kicks off at 2:30pm
Where: London's Royal Docks
The public is invited to join ‘A Right Royal Docks Jubilee’, where the Queen Baton Relay will take place, as it passes globally through the Commonwealth. There will be live performances including the English National Ballet’s Youth Company, West Ham women’s team and Grime Group Ruff Sqwad Academy.
The Queens Baton will finish with a concert, including both local London based artists, such as BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ and broadcaster Swarzy Macaly and African World Pop musician Vincent Bugozi and his band who will bring incredible energy with a set of Afrobeat, Reggae, Afrocuban, and Pop.
Tree of Trees, by Thomas Heatherwick's studios
When: Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 June
Where: Outside Buckingham Palace
A sculpture containing 350 living trees and designed to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee will be officially unveiled on 2 June. The 21-metre-high sculpture is meant to draw attention to a tree-planting campaign created to mark the Queen's 70 years on the throne.
Seven Dials: Platinum Jubilee events and activities
When: Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 June, various times
Where: Locations throughout Seven Dials, London WC2H 9DA
If your own street isn’t pulling off a party for the Jubilee Bank Holiday, festivities can be found at Seven Dials, where a programme of family activities, masterclasses and 1950s-themed menus (the decade of the Queen’s Coronation) awaits. Highlights include flower crown workshops (Thursday 2 June), a Queen Bling Nail Art pop-up (Saturday 4 June), a 1950s burlesque class at Coco de Mer (Saturday 4 June) and royal-themed cocktails all round.
Jubilee Weekend at Royal Museums Greenwich
When:Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 June, 10:30am - 4pm
Where: National Maritime Museum, Romney Road, Greenwich, London SE10 9NF
Got some kids or teens in tow? There are plenty of free events happening at the National Maritime Museum to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and teach them about the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s rich and regal history. Follow a photography trail documenting the Queen’s visits to Royal Museums Greenwich through the years, take part in free, outdoor games, and have a picnic on the grounds which have been decked out with bunting for the occasion.
Southbank Centre: The Platinum Jubilee Celebration
When: Saturday 4 June, 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Where: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, England SE1 8XX
Southbank Centre is marking the Queen’s long reign with a concert of majestic works, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Choral Society, the Bach Choir and distinguished soloists. Listen out for Handel’s Zadok the Priest (Coronation Anthem No.1); Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Greensleeves; Schubert’s Ave Maria, D.839, and more. This concert is suitable for audiences aged over seven.
CULTURE FROM HOME
Crown Copyright courtesy of The National Archives
The National Archives: Royalty on Record
The National Archives is opening up its collection to online browsers, offering the public the chance to pore over rarely seen documents, video footage and records relating to the Queen’s coronation and subsequent reign. Study the coronation oath with the Queen’s signature, watch a film about Her Majesty’s reign, and listen to expert talks and record from the Queen’s coronation ceremony back in 1953.
National Portrait Gallery: The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
The National Portrait Gallery might be closed until 2023, but visitors to its website can peer at a collage of portraits of the Queen, spanning her lifetime.
QUEEN'S PLATINUM JUBILEE: PARTY ESSENTIALS AND BEST TEAS IN TOWN
If you’re throwing your own party, make it classy with a little help from two of the most British department stores. For a sophisticated selection of Union Jack merchandise (paper plates, cups, bunting and cake toppers) look to The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee range at Harvey Nichols. For memorabilia you can keep after the momentous occasion, check out The Platinum Jubilee collection at Fortnum & Mason, featuring special-edition crockery, tea towels, biscuit tins, hampers and more.
Biscuiteers Afternoon Tea, Notting Hill and Belgravia
Where: 194 Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill, London W11 2ES / 14-15 Eccleston Yards, 21 Eccleston Place, London SW1W 9AZ
Most of London’s leading suppliers of afternoon tea are running a special menu to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, but one of the most picturesque can be found at the two branches of Biscuiteers. Look forward to rhubarb and chocolate cheesecake, yuzu and lemon meringue tart and Jubilee-themed biscuits, including some shaped like little corgis.