The country is set to become a sea of patriotic red, white and blue this June in celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and final preparations for the big occasion are being made in the North East - which always knows how to party.
The focus of celebrations to mark Her Majesty's record-breaking 70 years on the throne will be, of course, that four-day Bank Holiday, from June 2-5, which we're all looking forward. And, besides the late opening that's being allowed for bars and pubs, there will be street parties, flaming beacons, Big Lunch events - part of a national initiative - and music shows. Landmarks such as the Tyne Bridge and Durham Cathedral will be lit up in red, white and blue.
The Queen is the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee so there are to be some standout national events to celebrate the milestone. Here is a guide to what's on offer as well as a taster of what will be happening across the North East, for local communities keen to have an idea of the range of events available on their doorstep.
They include events planned for the run-up to the long weekend too. Those who are interesting in hosting their own - beyond small-scale get-togethers over the likes of coronation chicken sandwiches and royal sponge - can contact their local council for advice and assistance.
Read more: Aldi launches new gin to add sparkle to Queen's Jubilee celebrations
Street parties, for instance, may require road closures and both Gateshead Council and Newcastle City Council required notification for these by May 9. Gateshead pointed out there's no charge but there are some rules - and of course these include cleaning up afterwards. Newcastle has advice for its residents too: see here.
Detailed plans and programmes are now being revealed and watch this space for updates to this guide when more events are announced. To help people get their own plans under way, there is information about planning a street party here and for more about The Big Lunch see here.
National Jubilee events
Thursday, June 2 - Trooping the Colour
The Queen's official birthday will be marked by a parade of more than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians.
Saturday, June 4 - Platinum Party at the Palace
A live concert featuring big stars such as Diana Ross Elton John will be broadcast from Buckingham Palace and will celebrate significant moments from the Queen's seven-decade reign. Read about its confirmed line-up here.
Sunday, June 5 - Platinum Jubilee Pageant
This pageant at Buckingham Palace will involve 5,000 people across the UK and the Commonwealth, including performers, military personnel and volunteers.
Sunday, June 5 - Big Jubilee Lunch
People everywhere are encouraged to get together with neighbours and communities to share lunch at events - big or small - on this Sunday or indeed any other of the four days.
North East Jubilee events
Keep an eye out here for a round-up of what's happening in Northumberland and check out further details of big events below.
Northumberland
May 27 - Hexham Celebrates: Music for the Queen's Jubilee
In the run-up to the big weekend, Hexham Abbey will be hosting this special evening, with Sir Brendan Foster as a special guest. For details the event, which is organised by Hexham Rotary Club, see here. For more about Hexham's celebrations, including beacon lighting in the Marketplace on June 2 and a Regatta at Tyne Green Country Park see here.
May 28 - The Big Fat Alnwick Garden Party
The Alnwick attraction will be starting off celebrations with half-term fun to be followed by entertainment throughout the long Bank Holiday weekend. Read here about all its plans.
June 2 - Beacon lighting with Steve Cram
Scores of beacons will be lit along the route of Hadrian’s Wall, also celebrating its 1,900-year anniversary.
At Kielder Water and Forest Park, one of the highest beacons in Northumberland will be lit on top of the 2,000ft Deadwater Fell by athletic legend Steve Cram. The tribute by Forestry England and Kielder Observatory will take place at 9.45pm.
It's one of the 1,500 so-called 'anchor beacons' being lit across the UK and Commonwealth and with the location's spectacular views - the Solway Firth and North Sea can be seen on a clear day - the night's event promises to be a treat for viewers. Subject to clear weather, there are also plans to live-stream it from one of the observatory's telescopes.
Tickets to attend are free and can be booked here. Priority will be given to those who live in the Kielder and the North Tyne areas but anyone can register in case spaces become available.
June 2 - Beacon-lighting at Pele Tower, Cresswell
For what it is believed to be the first time in 500 years, a beacon will be lit on the roof of Pele Tower, the newly-restored landmark which has stood guard over this Northumberland village since the 14th Century. Organisers are hoping lots of visitors will turn up to make the most of free access to Pele Tower - which would have seen warning beacons lit back in the day of the rampaging Reivers - from 1pm-9pm then watch the beacon being lit at 9.45pm .
Newcastle
Newcastle City Council says patriotic fever is sweeping throughout the city as it gears up for its Jubilee celebrations and residents can look forward to beacon-lighting ceremonies, street parties, a live music and light show and royal exhibitions. Houses, pubs and businesses are set to be decked out with flags and bunting and the Civic Centre and Tyne Bridge will be among the landmarks illuminated in red, white and blue.
A programme of events is being planned across Newcastle and council leader Nick Kemp said there has been "a fantastic response" from communities keen to mark the historic occasion, whether by attending an organised event or laying out trestle tables for their own party. “The bank holiday weekend looks set to be a truly amazing four days," he said. See here for more including details of a free-to-attend community event in Heaton.
The three beacon-lightings in the city will be at Newcastle Civic Centre; The Cumberland Arms in the Ouseburn and Hodgkin Park.
June 2 - Picnic and party night
Families are invited to gather for picnics in the grounds of St Thomas’ Church from 6pm ahead of a night of entertainment at 7.15pm Newcastle Civic Centre’s Ceremonial Way hosted by BBC Radio Newcastle presenter Alfie Joey. There will be performances from the Shoeshop Quartet, musician Chris Cowan, the Northern Monkey Brass Band, street theatre show Spark, a piper and a bugler. Lighting of the beacon will follow.
June 2 - Beacon lighting at Civic Centre
A beacon-lighting ceremony will take place at the Civic Centre at 10pm, as part of a nationwide event involving more than 1,500 beacons across the UK and the Commonwealth which build upon the long tradition of lighting beacons to mark major royal events. Local choir Sing United will sing a song for the Commonwealth called A Life Lived with Grace.
June 2 - Family events with Urban Green Newcastle
In the west of the city, the charity Urban Green - which runs the city's parks and allotments - will be hosting events in Hodgkin Park, Benwell, from 8pm to 10pm. There will be carnival performances from 8.15pm, hand-printing workshops with Petra Ondrova, music from Hannabiell Sanders, Yilis Suriel and Yuvel Soria at 9.20pm plus community stalls, street food from the Dialogue Society and games such as LED badminton, dodgeball, football, cricket and tag.
At 9.45pm the park’s beacon will be lit by by Carole Rowland, welfare manager of West End Food Bank. Among the stalls will be one hosted by Beelines North East, which runs activities such as bee walks and discovery days engaging people with local wildlife. Here it will offer nature-themed arts and crafts and will follow up with a similar stall for a community Jubilee party at St Johns Church, Kingston Park, on June 3. For full information about the activities it offers see here.
June 2 - Hadrian's Wall Beacon Party
In the east of the city, the Ouseburn Trust has teamed up with the Cumberland Arms pub for this 4pm-11pm party. Attractions will include storytelling, live music, food and the chance to try an exclusive new Roman beer brewed by Northern Alchemy. Newcastle Kingsmen will be performing and there will be a light and music show before the 10pm lighting of the beacon.
Newcastle City Library
A variety of Royal exhibitions are being held throughout May and June and smaller displays will be show at other branches, with each including Jubilee-theme story times and craft activities for young people.
Read further about Newcastle events here.
Gateshead
May 12 - Coronation Catwalk with Meridith Towne
At 6.30pm at Gateshead Central Library, the costume historian and dressmaker will be planning a Coronation outfit and guests can check out fashion mags and 1950s sewing patterns: see here to book.
June 2 - The Best of British: Platinum Jubilee Party
The Fed - previously known as the Feration Brewery - is hosting an indoor street party from 12.30pm with afternoon tea and a variety show that promises a nostalgic journey through the Queen's 70-year reign and guarantees to get people singing and dancing along. See here.
Sunderland
From city centre lawn games to musical celebrations, find out here what is happening in Sunderland over the four-day Bank Holiday. Below are two big events you can be part of.
June 5 - The Big Jubilee Lunch in Mowbray Park
As part of the national community drive to get people bonding together, the city park will be transformed between 11am and 4pm for a free day of celebration, organised by Sunderland BID and Sunderland City Council.
The hope is for a huge turnout to include the elderly and those living alone. What is being described as a one-in-a-lifetime event, with a country fete atmosphere and 'garden games', will certainly have something for all ages, including an outdoor cinema screening royal-theme movies such as The Queen’s Corgi, Royal Night Out and Downton Abbey; plus games, circus performances, a kids' sports club, Zumba and music from local buskers and the Back Chat Brass band.
While there will be food available to buy, there will be plenty of space too if people want to bring along a picnic. Cultural Spring, Sunderland Culture and Gentoo will be working to engage older people in the event. Sharon Appleby, chief executive of Sunderland BID, said: "Groups and communities across the UK will be involved in their own versions of The Big Jubilee Lunch and we wanted to make sure that Sunderland plays its part."
The Platinum Jubilee Creative Challenge
Sunderland people of all ages are invited to unleash their inner artist and take part in an exhibition that celebrates the Queen's record-breaking reign. The best artworks produced, that reflect Her Majesty at any time over her 70 years on the throne, will form part of a large-scale display to be hosted in the city from May 27.
The royal exhibition - called Queen Elizabeth II From All Angles - will be held across two sites: Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens and the Pigment and Toil Art Gallery at The Bridges shopping centre. The city-wide challenge is the idea of Sunderland BID to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and entries must be submitted by the deadline of 5pm on May 16. Artwork, which needs to be A4 size, can be photographed and emailed to info@sunderlandbid.co.uk with 'Queen Elizabeth II From All Angles' in the subject line. Alternately it can be dropped off at the Pigment and Toil Gallery or posted to Sunderland BID, 8 Foyle Street, Sunderland, SR1 1LB.
County Durham
May 28 to June 5 - Platinum Jubilee Celebrations: Beamish Museum
Visitors will be able to step back to the time of the Queen's Coronation at the open-air museum which will be hosting street parties throughout this week and decking out its 1950s Front Street terrace and Welfare Hall with red, white and blue. The period businesses - marking the decade her reign began - will have Coronation-theme window displays; the hairdresser salon will offer fifties updos and the nearby welfare hall will be screening the Coronation ceremony.
The new 1950s playground and miniature golf course with football area and sandpit - to be named Coronation Park and Recreation Ground in the Queen's honour - will be open by then and added attractions will be live music and children’s parties with fifties games. Activities will include music, crown-making, football skills and themed crafts. Find out more here.
May 28 to June 5 - Picnic in the Cloisters: Durham Cathedral
The cathedral - which will join landmarks across the UK on June 2 to be lit ip in red, white and blue - is hosting week-long celebrations to mark the jubilee and they include a unique opportunity to take along blankets and hampers for an al fresco picnic in the usually out-of-bounds green space bordered by the Clositers. This area will be open 11am-1pm daily during the week and spaces don't need to be booked. People will be welcome to sit on the grass, taking care to avoid the central stone basin - the lavabo, where monks of the former monastery once washed - which is now fragile. Anyone wanting to supplement their picnic can do so from the cafe which will be selling drinks, savouries and scones.
Other attractions on the programme include a Summer in the City: Fanfare! concert on June 3; a Service of Thanksgiving on June 4 and children's activities including crown-making: see here.
June 2-5 - Platinum Jubilee Afternoon Tea
The South Causey Inn at Stanley will ensure its dining garden pods will be dressed for the occasion for special tea events which will include a complimentary glass of fizz then a selection of its homemade treats including scones with clotted cream and jam. Live music and magicians will add to the day's entertainment. See here to book.
June 4-5 - Kynren's Jubilee Show and Platinum Street Party
The outdoor spectacular is making an earlier-than-normal return to Bishop Auckland for a special show to celebrate the Jubilee - and there's to be a street party too: read about it here.
May 30-June 5 - Platinum in the Park
Dalton Park will be hosting free family activities and events each day, including crown-crafting and bunting-designing and there will be a' grand throne room' for people to take commemorative selfies. Other attractions include stilt walkers on June 3 and live music from the Back Chat Brass band on June 4.
Regal purple will be the colour theme of a wildflower planting pledge, in partnership with Climate Action North, which is intended as a lasting legacy of the jubilee and will see purple flowers bloom across the parkland each year. In the meantime, visitors will be able to see a floral display in the garden at its wildflower meadow - Dalton Park is said to be the first retail park in the north to have introduced a meadow, through the Pollinator Parks scheme.
They also will be able to take advantage of the surrounding 55 acres of landscaped parkland to enjoy picnics and even sea views from the Sky Gate vantage point. During the week, 65 shops at the outlet are also set to offer discounts of up to 60%.
Will you be taking part in the Jubilee celebrations? Let us know in the comments below
Weather forecast
This is the big question of course - are we going to be able to flaunt our red, white and blue outfits in the summer sun or will we be huddled under brollies and sagging bunting? Whatever happens we won't be stopping our parties. We'll be tracking the weather forecast in the run-up to the Bank Holiday and here's what we know so far.
Make the most of the Jubilee weekend
With a long weekend to enjoy - and hopefully some decent weather - families will be looking to make the most of their extra time off together. Besides a huge number of areas where you can enjoy a walk, there's also plenty that families can do for free during these cash-strapped times. For grown-ups, those later licence pubs no doubt will be big attractions. Here's a list too of some of the best things to do around Newcastle and if the sun does shine then Newcastle has some wonderful roof-top bars and restaurants to take advantage of it. And if you enjoy all that then you might like to know that you can look forward to the next Bank Holiday on August 29.
Read next:
- New film shows how North East marked Jubilees over the years
- Things to do in Newcastle whether you're a Geordie or a visitor
- Queen's Jubilee - what's it all about and fun facts
- Ice cream parlours to visit if the sun shines for Jubilee celebrations
- Miss Rory announces a new show to mark Queen's Jubilee month
- Newcastle artist's surprise at Paul Burrell's response to Queen artwork
