Platinum Jubilee Celebrations Across England
Celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee are taking place across the country all through the spring and summer months. From traditional royal exhibitions and guided walking tours to quirky cabaret spectaculars and music festivals fit for a Queen there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate the occasion with friends and family – so book your Wightlink ferry today!
Over the Jubilee bank holiday weekend (2 to 5 June 2022), there will be nationwide picnics with live entertainment and family-friendly outdoors performances, as well as grown-up music concerts and food festivals. Here’s our selection of events, experiences and activities on the mainland to mark the Queen’s 70 years on the throne. Don’t forget that Kids Go Free with Wightlink during school holidays, too.
Close to home
Big Lunch events, Portsmouth
You’re royally invited to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at one of the free Jubilee Big Lunch events on Sunday 5 June. Thousands are expected to come together on Southsea Common and Cosham’s King George V playing fields.
Join in the fun from 10am to 5pm and enjoy live bandstand music and community performances. Refreshments will be available, or you can bring your own picnic.
Dogstival, Romsey
If you want to celebrate with your four-legged friend then you won’t want to miss Dogstival (Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 June) at Broadlands Park, Romsey. A celebration of all things doggie-related, with dog displays, stalls selling everything your pup could imagine and much more.
New Forest Afternoon Tea
Relax in the luxurious surroundings of Chewton Glen Hotel on Friday 3 June to celebrate. Afternoon tea will include a glass of English sparkling wine and live music from the strolling, acoustic trio, ‘Wandering Hands’.
The Thatched Cottage Hotel in Brockenhurst will be offering a Platinum Jubilee Afternoon Tea daily across the Bank Holiday weekend and Balmer Lawn Hotel are inviting you to join them for a special afternoon tea to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee on Thursday 2 June. With the ambiance of a buzzing British street party combined with the eloquence of a traditional afternoon tea, indulge in a delicious array of sweet and savoury delights.
Royal Exhibitions
Her Majesty The Queen at Sandringham, Norfolk
Her Majesty The Queen at Sandringham: An Exemplary Reign and a Unique Country House, is this year’s special exhibition at Sandringham and will showcase The Queen and the Royal Family’s affection for the much-loved country retreat. On from 9 April – 13 October 2022.
Jubilee Exhibition: The Queen’s Coronation at Windsor Castle
In celebration of The Queen’s historic Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the Coronation Dress and Robe of Estate worn by The Queen for her Coronation at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953 will be on display for visitors to admire from 7 July 2022.
State Rooms, Buckingham Palace
The State Rooms occupy the heart of Buckingham Palace. These were designed to act as the public rooms in which the Sovereign could receive, reward and entertain subjects and visiting dignitaries. These rooms contain some of the most outstanding works of art in the Royal Collection, providing a permanent and striking backdrop to the events that take place here. At the Summer Opening of the State Rooms, from 22 July – 2 October 2022 at Buckingham Palace, portraits of The Queen taken by Dorothy Wilding will be on display, alongside items of Her Majesty’s personal jewellery worn for the portrait sittings.
Walks and gardens
Platinum Jubilee Themed Guided Walks, Windsor
An informative town walk sharing the story of The Queen’s 70-year reign and her love of Windsor takes place on various weekends in May. From her childhood at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park to wartime refugee at Windsor Castle, the tour gives a glimpse into life at her favourite official Royal Residence. Saturdays and Sundays only, starts 2.30pm and lasts approximately two hours.
City Guides Walk “A Right Royal City”, London
Join City Guides on a guided walking tour through the City of London to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee year of Queen Elizabeth. Discover the trials and tribulations, pomp and celebrations of the kings, queens, princes and princesses who have left their mark on the City of London over the centuries. From events that everyone still talks about, to royal organisations that have been saving lives for 500 years and tales of royal treasures, the City has it all. Fridays and Saturdays until 25 June 2022.
Queen’s Green Canopy at RHS Gardens, Nationwide
The RHS Gardens are all marking 70 years on the throne for their Patron, with each garden having planted trees as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative and further celebrations to include red, white and blue floral displays and brass bands performances during the Jubilee weekend itself.
Superbloom, Tower of London
Celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen at the Tower of London, where a spectacular, colourful, vibrant field of flowers will fill the Tower’s moat from 1 June – 18 September 2022. Once the jaunt of royals and home to the crown jewels, the specially commissioned installation has been designed to attract pollinators. ‘Superbloom’ will bring a spectacular, ever-changing, natural beauty to the urban space and introduce a new biodiverse habitat for wildlife.
Picnics, afternoon teas and food festivals
Taste Liverpool. Drink Bordeaux, Liverpool
For four days (2 – 5 June 2022), Liverpool comes alive with a brand-new festival. Taste Liverpool. Drink Bordeaux is set to be the most delicious weekend of the year, celebrating Liverpool’s food and drink heritage and its vibrant reputation as a hospitality hotspot. The city will become an immersive food destination with takeovers by leading restauranteurs and chefs, cookery demonstrations, food inspired cultural events and many venues offering special festival menus and an array of beautiful Bordeaux wines.
Blenheim Palace Food Festival, Oxfordshire
For the eight-year running Fantastic Food Festivals will descend on Blenheim Palace, this year from 2 – 5 June 2022. There’s special a Jubilee theme and visitors can expect even more celebrity masterclasses, a new tasting tent for extensive sampling, children’s entertainment and high quality local and national stallholders offering delicious delights.
Platinum Jubilee Afternoon Tea Cruise, York
City Cruises’ Jubilee Afternoon Tea will host ninety-minute themed cruises with a Queen quiz as passengers take in the stunning riverside of the city of York. Expect royal decorations, a scrumptious afternoon tea with complementary fizz and a York Gin gift set worth £18. 2 – 5 June 2022.
Hobbs of Henley, Platinum Jubilee Afternoon Tea
Two special Royal River Thames cruises will take place on aboard The New Orleans, the flagship vessel suitably decorated for this momentous occasion, with afternoon tea served by the award-winning Time for Tea. 2 and 3 June 2022.
Picnic in The Park, St Albans
Friends of Clarence Park will be hosting a 1950s themed picnic with live music, entertainment and refreshments in Bury on 5 June 2022. This is a free event, and all are welcome with no need to book. Bring your own picnic lunch or grab a cream tea in the park’s café. Dress in 1950s style or in an outfit fit for a Queen (or King!) for a truly royal day out.
Windsor’s Big Lunch, Windsor
On 5 June and promoting a Commonwealth theme, this event is aiming for the longest picnic table ever, for the longest Sunday lunch, taking place on the iconic Long Walk in Windsor Great Park! Plans are for the table to reach from Cambridge Gate towards the Copper House on Snow Hill. If all the tables are full, then visitors will be welcome to spread out their picnic on the grass. There will also be a big screen to watch the Platinum Pageant.
Jousting Knights and Musical Monarchs
Riotous Royals, East Yorkshire
Celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in East Yorkshire with chivalrous knights and musical monarchs at Riotous Royals, an outdoor performance walk hosted by larger-than-life characters. A Rusticus Adventure featuring plenty of silly interaction and off-the-wall activities, it will be staged at Burnby Hall Gardens, Pocklington, on 1 June and Sewerby Hall and Gardens on 2 June.
Jubilee Joust, Hampton Court Palace
Experience the sport of kings as knights from around the country joust to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee from 2-5 June 2022. Visitors can choose a favourite knight and cheer them on as they compete for the coveted Jubilee Cup. Pomp, ceremony and splendour will reign supreme, as this family-friendly event takes place in the spectacular Hampton Court Palace gardens.
Fina and the Platinum Street Party, Bishop Auckland, County Durham
Gates open at 11 Arches for one of the largest Jubilee Street parties in the country on 4 June. The afternoon begins with the latest original show Fina and The Golden Cape; an exciting tale of revenge, ambition, magic and bravery – an old-fashioned story with a 21st century hero. The show will be followed by live music on the lake before guests can enjoy a giant street party. There will be seating for up to 2,500 guests outside and in the Arches Hall, with an open-air dance floor set to make it one of the largest jubilee street parties in the country. At 9.30pm the evening will culminate with a light and water show with a celebratory firework display to mark the Queen’s record-breaking 70-year reign.
Live music and performing arts
The Big Jubilee Gala Concert, Birmingham
The Big Jubilee Gala Concert at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, on 2 June 2022, is set to be a memorable musical and artistic journey through time. The concert will showcase a collection of the greatest compositional works and performance pieces created within the Queen’s 70-year reign, whilst embracing modern-day arts and culture. Through an array of artforms and expressions of creativity, the event will represent the outstanding diversity of both the Commonwealth and of the West Midlands.
Castle celebrations and seaside sounds, Lincolnshire
Celebrate the Jubilee with a tribute to Great British Bands in Skegness and Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, (4 June 2022) when these great British seaside resorts will be entertaining crowds with music spanning the decades of the Queen’s reign. Both events will be free entry and end in a fitting finale of a firework display on the beach. More celebrations are planned in Lincoln, behind the medieval walls of Lincoln Castle where the picturesque grounds will be the setting for The Great British Jubilee Picnic (2 to 5 June). There will be live entertainment from the bandstand and plenty of space to bring your own picnic with the Castle grounds free to enjoy over the Bank Holiday.
Elgar Festival, Worcester and Malvern
Celebrating the legacy of Britain’s great composer, Sir Edward Elgar, in his home-county, and Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee this year, the Elgar Festival programmes music with a family connection to Elizabeth II from 3-5 June. 2022 also marks the composer’s 150th anniversary with live performances from the English Symphony Orchestra and the Elgar Festival Chorus in Worcester Cathedral. Enjoy live music, talks, workshops, street performance and family-friendly events across Worcester and Malvern.
Summer Music in City Churches Festival, London
To mark the 150th anniversary of Vaughan Williams and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Summer Music in City Churches presents English Rhapsody. Concerts in St Giles Cripplegate and other historic churches in London’s Square Mile will include evocative and glorious music by Vaughan Williams and contemporaries Elgar, Finzi, Holst, Ireland and more. Artists include the English Chamber Orchestra with clarinettist Emma Johnson, principals of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of London Choir, pianist Mark Bebbington, mezzo-soprano Marta Fontanals-Simmons, and this year’s talented graduates from the Yehudi Menuhin School. 14 – 24 June 2022.
Alternative experiences
Shotgun Carousel presents The Grotteaux, Woolwich Works, London
Shotgun Carousel’s cabaret spectacular The Grotteaux makes its way to London from 18 May – 4 June 2022, in time for the Jubilee celebrations. Expect Springtime revelry with a series of variety acts from burlesque bombshells, drag divas, spectacular circus and chaotic comedy, topped off with the magnificent musical talents of a show-stopping house band.
Stairway Jubilee Party with ‘QUEENERGY’, Cambridge
Stairway Jubilee Party will kick off its bank holiday weekend of events with a very special (and fitting) show from ‘Queenergy’, the UK’s premier soundalike tribute band to the iconic rock band Queen, on 2 June 2022. Attendees can expect big guitars, operatic vocals, lush harmonies and all of the classic things that made ‘Queen’ one of the biggest rock bands of all time!
Fit for a Queen Weekend celebration, Manchester
Head to Sackville Gardens in Manchester City Centre for their Fit For a Queen Weekend celebration. On Saturday 4th June some of the biggest names from the 90s and 00s will be performing including Vengaboys, Cascade, Atomic Kitten and The Cheeky Girls. It’s the perfect excuse to become a dancing queen, show off your best moves and celebrate the jubilee in style. The event is for over 18s only with £1 of every ticket sold to be donated to the Friends of Sackville Gardens Association.
