Feb 12
21

Jubilee Pageant on the Thames

A day to remember at The Thames

The Diamond Jubliee pageant on The Thames

If you want to celebrate the Diamond  Jubliee with a difference why not visit the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. The 1000-boat tribute to Her Majesty The Queen’s 60-year reign is going to be one of the largest public events ever held in London.  It takes place on Sunday 3rd June on the river from Putney to Tower Bridge.

The flotilla will be over seven miles long and will include some 25 miles of Thames river bank and pass under 14 bridges.  It will take 90 minutes to pass any given point. This unique spectacle, inspired by the history and tradition of entertainment and theatre on the Thames, is expected to include 20,000 participants on the water and millions of spectators on the river banks.

The sequence of the flotillia starts with a herald by The Royal Jubilee Bells, and led by Gloriana, the hand-built, 88-foot rowbarge, the first section will include rowed and paddled vessels, including Watermen’s cutters, modern row boats, kayaks and Dragon boats.  The second section includes boats carrying the flags of the Commonwealth nations, Realms, Territories and Dependencies.  Then comes the Royal section, with support vessels from the former Royal Yacht Britannia, accompanying the Pageant’s flagship, the Royal Barge, on which The Queen will travel.  She will be followed immediately by the Guard of Honour.  In the fourth section will be the Dunkirk Little Ships, followed by historic vessels in the fifth.  Following the historic boats will be the working boats, including steam boats and tugs.  The next – the seventh – will see an array of leisure vessels, followed by the eighth section of narrow boats and Dutch barges.  The final two sections are designated for passenger vessels, allowing for significant public participation as part of the flotilla itself.

The flotilla will be divided into ten sections, with music herald barges separating each one.  The Pageant’s music will be a diverse mixture of the contemporary and classical.  The Pageant organisers were keen to embrace the opportunity to commission new pieces and the selection therefore includes a number of world premieres. Examples include a new song with lyrics by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and a new work inspired by Handel’s water music, created by ten renowned British film composers. The final music herald barge will be the London Philharmonic Orchestra, performing a British repertoire, including music by Benjamin Britten and Gustav Holst.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, with other members of the Royal family, will be on board the Royal Barge, The Spirit of Chartwell, decorated and adorned for the occasion at the head of the royal section of the flotilla. The Prince of Wales will play a key role on the day as Patron of the Pageant.

As part of the planned entertainment for the Pageant, there will also be a festival held in Battersea Park, where visitors will be able to watch the flotilla as it passes by the park’s northern Thameside.  The Jubilee-themed entertainment, curated by Hemingway Design and Clare Patey, will be a day-long programme of funfair, competitions, games, food and cookery, storytelling, fashion, and live music through the decades.

 

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