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Daily Mirror

National

Matt Roper & Jennifer Newton

Queen's Platinum Jubilee events in full: Our guide to all the celebrations near you

Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee (Event) Her Majesty King Charles III United Kingdom London Buckingham Palace Prince William

It’s the start of a long weekend that will go down in history - when the Queen becomes the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee after 70 years of service.

And the whole country will get involved in marking the occasion, with thousands of events all across the UK as well as abroad.

While some will join the crowds in London, many others will take part in local festivities or parties, or raise a glass to her Majesty while watching the events on TV.

Here’s our run-down of the big bank holiday weekend’s main events so you don't miss out….

THURSDAY JUNE 2:

10am -Trooping the Colour, the Queen’s Birthday Parade, Buckingham Palace

The Royal Family during Trooping the Colour in 2019 (AFP via Getty Images)

In a spectacular event to kick off the Bank Holiday celebrations, over 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians will move down the Mall from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guard’s Parade.

There members of the Royal Family will join on horseback and in carriages, while Prince Charles will stand in for the Queen to inspect the troops on horseback.

It will conclude with the traditional RAF fly-past, which will be watched from the balcony of Buckingham Palace by the Queen and her family.

Those appearing on the balcony will include Charles and Camilla and William and Kate, with their children, but not Harry and Meghan, who have not been invited to join the senior royals.

9.45pm - Lighting of the Platinum Jubilee Beacons

Buckingham Palace will be at the centre of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations (Getty Images)

More than 2,022 beacons will be lit throughout the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, in recognition of the Queen’s service.

Members of the royal family will watch the lighting of the principal beacon in the Mall in front of the palace - a 21-metre tall Tree of Trees sculpture.

Beacons will also be lit British Overseas Territories, including one in each of the capital cities of all 54 Commonwealth countries, at 9.30pm local time.

At the same time as the lighting of a beacons a new song for the Commonwealth will be sung by choirs in all the Commonwealth countries.

The Queen will lead the lighting of the Principal Platinum Jubilee Beacon from Windsor Castle, with Prince William representing her at the ceremony in central London.

FRIDAY JUNE 3

11.30am - Service of Thanksgiving, St Paul’s Cathedral

A service of thanksgiving will take place at St Paul's on Friday (Getty Images)

St Paul’s will hold a service expressing thankfulness for the Queen’s reign, faith and service, with bible readings, anthems, prayers and congregations hymns.

The event will mark the largest gathering of the royal family since Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018. The Sussexes are expected to attend, but it is unknown whether they will be joined by their two children, Archie, three, and Lilibet, who turns one on Saturday.

It is understood the Queen is keen to attend the service, although her presence will not be confirmed until nearer the time.

Great Paul, the largest church bell in the country, will run for a royal event for the very first time.

Following the service the Royal Family will head to Guildhall for a reception hosted by the Lord Mayor of London.

SATURDAY JUNE 4

5.30pm - The Derby at Epsom Downs

The Queen at the Epsom Derby in 2008 (Getty Images)

One of English racing’s highlights and a firm favourite of Her Majesty, the Queen had been expected to attend the Epsom Derby, where she was to be greeted on the course with a special guard of honour including 40 of her past and present jockeys.

But it is now “increasingly unlikely” she will head to Epsom, according to reports, with Princess Anne expected to represent the family on her behalf.

It will only be the third time in her reign that she has missed the race, as the 96-year-old monarch looks to pace herself for the weekend’s celebrations.

The Queen, a passionate horse breeder, will also be without a runner in this year’s Derby after her star colt Reach For The Moon suffered a setback in training.

8pm to 10.30pm - BBC ’s Platinum Party at the Palace, Buckingham Palace

The concert will take place in front of Buckingham Palace (REUTERS)

The most star-studded event of the bank holiday weekend, the open-air concert at Buckingham Palace will be headlined by Diana Ross and feature stars of stage, screen and sport including Sir David Attenborough, Emma Raducanu, David Beckham, and Dame Julie Andrews.

Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Hans Zimmer, Ella Eyre, Craig David and George Ezra will also perform on the show’s three stages, as well as Duran Duran, Andrea Bocelli, Mimi Webb, Sam Ryder and Diversity. There will also be a specially recorded performance from Sir Elton John.

The show, hosted by Kirsty Young and Ronan Kemp and broadcast live on the BBC, will have an audience of 22,000 people, including 10,000 tickets allocated in a public ballot and over 7,500 tickets for key workers, members of the Armed Forces, volunteers, and charities.

The stages will be linked together by 70 illuminated columns, representing Her Majesty’s 70-year reign. The Queen is not expected to be there, but will watch on TV instead from Windsor Castle. However, we are likely to see other members of the Royal Family there.

SUNDAY JUNE 5

12pm - The Big Jubilee Lunch

The Queen's reign will be celebrated 70 years after she was crowned (PA)

Communities across the country will be throwing Jubilee-themed tea parties in honour of the Queen’s reign.

More than 85,000 people have signed up to host the Big Jubilee Lunches in the UK, with about 16,000 street parties set to take place. And more than 600 international lunches are being planned across the world, including in Canada, Brazil and New Zealand.

In Bognor Regis, organisers of a seafront street party will be attempting to to break the Guinness World Record for the longest street party.

Prince Charles and Camila will attend a lunch at The Oval cricket ground in south London, while the Earl and Countess of Wessex will join residents for a lunch at Windsor Castle.

2.30pm-5pm - Platinum Jubilee Pageant

The gold state coach passes the Houses of Parliament earlier during a rehearsal for Sunday's Platinum Jubilee Pageant (PA)

The last event of the Jubilee weekend, over 5,000 artists from across the UK and the Commonwealth will parade through central London performing tributes to the seven decades of the Queen’s reign.

The 3km carnival procession will feature a cast of thousands including puppets and celebrities and will move from Horse Guards Parade, along Whitehall to Admiralty Arch, and down The Mall to the Palace.

The pageant also includes a River of Hope procession, with children carrying 200 silk flags, while buses for each decade of the Queen’s reign will carry some of the biggest names in British showbusiness.

Celebrities taking part will include Sir Cliff Richard, Katherine Jenkins, Holly Willoughby, Gary Lineker, Sir Mo Farah and Professor Green.

Evoking the Queen’s Coronation in 1953, the bells of Westminster Abbey will also chime, before the Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry leads The Gold State Coach along a crowd-thronged route back to Buckingham Palace.

There, Ed Sheeran will perform before a gospel choir will join the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines in the singing of the national anthem in front of the Queen’s official residence.

It is reported that the Jubilee will end with a balcony appearance by the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George.

ELSEWHERE IN THE UK

Brits across the UK area gearing up for street parties this weekend (Getty Images)

Birmingham

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra will be performing a programme of works presented by John Suchet that will include music from the coronation and some of the Queen’s favourite tunes (Thursday, 7.30pm).

The city’s Victoria Square will also host four days of festivities, including fun fair rides, bands, choirs and games, as well as food and drink stands.

Manchester

Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens will be hosting a party throughout the Jubilee weekend, from 11am to 7pm, with a market, live music and dance performances, food and drink. The city is also hosting The Queen’s Jubilee Trail, made up of 10 stunning displays inspired by the Queen’s 70 years of service and located across the city centre.

Newcastle

Families are invited to gather for picnics in the grounds of Newcastle’s St Thomas’ Church on Thursday at 6pm ahead of a “spectacular” night of entertainment, with live performances and street theatre.

Picnics will be taking place across the country (Cojean)

Scarborough

Singer Jane McDonald will headline Yorkshire’s Platinum Jubilee Concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre with a host of special guests including musical theatre stars The Barricade Boys and stage sensation La Vox (Saturday, 6pm)

Sheffield

Norfolk Heritage Park will host The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Show, a free outdoor event with activities including a Wheel of Death Show, Kid’s Craft Tent and a Jubilee Beacon Ceremony (Thursday, 1pm-10pm).

The Sheffield Food Festival will also take place across the city centre during the Jubilee Weekend and is expected to attract thousands of visitors.

Liverpool

A Jubilee street party will be running every day of the bank holiday weekend in the Summer in the Square food and drink market at Liverpool’s Exchange Flags. Seven beacons will also light up Liverpool’s waterfront on Thursday night, while Royal Albert Dock will host a Royal Weekender of food, drink and live music.

Nottingham

Celebrations will take place every day at Nottingham Castle and its grounds, including open-air installations, artworks among the trees, craft workshops and impromptu storytelling. Meanwhile, a large open-air exhibition in Old Market Square between Friday and Saturday will celebrate the Queen’s visits to Nottingham over the last 70 years.