Looking forward to celebrating King Charles III’s Coronation, but don't know where to start, where to go, or what to do? Here's a selection of London's most popular street parties and activities taking place over the bank holiday weekend from 6 to 8 May.
From regal floral installations, and picnics on the lawns, to screenings of the coronation ceremony and quintessential British rituals, you'll be amazed at how much there is to see, draw, drink, shop, eat, and celebrate around the capital.
CORONATION PROCESSION ROUTE, SATURDAY 6 MAY
On the morning of the 6th May, Their Majesties Charles and Camilla will travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, drawn by six Windsor Greys. This journey is known as The King’s Procession. This special Coach was designed for Queen Elizabeth II to mark the 60th anniversary of Elizabeth II’s reign in 2012.
The gilded crown on the top of the coach was carved from oak from HMS Victory. The interior of the coach is inlaid with samples of materials like metals and woods sourced from places and buildings with major historic significance to Britain.
The Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry will accompany The King’s Procession that has Buckingham Palace as a departing point. It will go through the Centre Gate, to proceed down The Mall, passing through Admiralty Arch and south of King Charles I Island, Whitehall then along Parliament Street. After travelling around the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary, the King’s Procession will arrive at the Sanctuary of Westminster Abbey, where the Royal Coronation Service will begin at 11 o’clock.
The Coronation Procession will take the same route, but in reverse, from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace. It will include all Services of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, Armed Forces from across the British Overseas Territories and Commonwealth, and, alongside Royal Watermen and The Sovereign’s Bodyguard.
Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla will travel in the Gold State Coach, which was commissioned in 1760 and has been used at all Coronation ceremonies since that of William IV in 1831. The coach weighs four tonnes and will be drawn by eight Windsor Greys at a walking pace.
WATCH CORONATION SCREENINGS
And if attending the procession in person is too much, sit back and relax while watching all the action it on a cinema-sized public screen. Large displays will broadcast the ceremony at Hampton Court, Holland Park, Walpole Park, Olympic Way (Wembley Park), Grosvenor Square, Battersea Power Station, the church of St. Bartholomew the Great in Smithfield, and St Cuthbert's in Earl's Court. It will be a weekend of picnics, live music, coffee and cake galore to toast the new monarch.
The Green Park and St James’s Park screening sites (more details in the Coronation procession map):
1 large screen at the Broad Walk
1 large screen, near the Marlborough Gate.
Hyde Park has four massive screens (download the map below):
Screen 1: Old Football Pitches (south side of the Serpentine Lake, near South Carriage Drive) - facing west.
Screen 2: Old Football Pitches (south side of the Serpentine Lake, near South Carriage Drive) - facing east.
Screen 3: The Cockpit (north of the Serpentine Lake, near the Norwegian War Memorial).
Screen 4: Boathouse Lawn (north of the Serpentine, right next to the boathouse).
CORONATION EVENTS IN MAYFAIR
Coronation Garden Party In Grosvenor Square, 6-7 May
Celebrate the coronation of King Charles III at Mayfair’s free Coronation Garden Party in Grosvenor Square, a short walk from Bond Street station on the Elizabeth, Central and Jubilee lines. Mayfair’s Coronation Garden Party will be taking place Saturday 6 May (from 10 am to 8 pm), and Sunday 7 May, from 12 pm until the end of the Windsor Castle concert.
Revellers will enjoy a royal welcome with live screenings of the coronation events, stunning tablescapes, food and drink to indulge in, and immersive floral installations.
Grab a deckchair to watch the coronation ceremony and the Windsor Castle concert on a cinema-sized screen.
Expect a wide range of food and drink options around Mayfair, including decadent coronation burgers from The Barley Mow, smooth ice cream courtesy of the Connaught Patisserie, English sparkling wine from Roebuck, and the fruitiest summer cocktails by The Twenty Two and Mr. Fogg’s.
Street Party at The Connaught Hotel
Join party-goers at The Connaught Hotel’s street party, from 12 pm to 3 pm on Sunday 7 May. There'll be a live brass band and street food galore. Pop into the Connaught Patisserie to indulge in the unique Cavalier King Charles Spaniel cake.
The Connaught Hotel, 16 Carlos Place, London W1K 2AL
ADMIRE DORCHESTER HOTEL'S SPECTACULAR CORONATION DECORATIONS
The Dorchester honours the coronation of HM The King by reimagining the decorations used for his mother’s coronation in 1953. The original designs for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation were created by British stage set designer Oliver Messel. By draping the hotel’s balconies, the hotel’s concave façade resembled the interior of a theater seen from the stage.
THE KING’S ROAD CORONATION PARTY, SATURDAY, 6 MAY 2023
What better place to enjoy a royal Coronation party than King's Road? Enjoy a fun-filled day with your friends and loves ones, from 11 am to 5.30 pm on Saturday, 6 May Londoners. Everybody will be coming together along King's Road to mark this historical occasion beneath swathes of joyful bunting. Expect:
Royal Hospital’s Chelsea Pensioners will be marching.
Live music and entertainment inspired by the King’s hobbies.
Plein-air artists will capture the atmosphere as celebrations unfold.
A PAWsome parade by 100 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
A gigantic floral installation of the Royal Crest and Coronation emblem (the perfect Coronation backdrop for insta selfies will be there until 14 May 2023).
CORONATION WEEKEND AT THE ROYAL MUSEUMS GREENWICH
To mark the coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort, over the bank holiday weekend, The Queen’s House and National Maritime Museum will host a series of free events for all ages. This includes picnics on the lawns, royal-themed tours, and even a screening of the coronation.
The National Maritime Museum was inaugurated in 1937 by the King’s grandfather, George VI, 14 days before his coronation. The eleven-year-old Princess Elizabeth joined him on one of her first official engagements as heiress to the throne.
But the royal connections to Greenwich don't end here. They date back to Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, the brother of Henry V, who built his home in the fifteenth century on the site that Charles II gave for the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Greenwich was also the birthplace of Elizabeth I and Henry VIII. In the seventeenth century, the Queen’s House was built for the Queen Consorts of James I and Charles I.
Over the long weekend, there will be free tours and talks in the National Maritime Museum and the Queen’s House about the early history of the Museum, Queen Consorts, and the court of Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I. Get ready to travel back in time to the reign of Charles II and meet an astronomer, cartographer, and a rope-maker.
Additionally, on Monday 8 May Sea Cadets will be attempting to break the Guinness World Record for ‘World’s Largest Boatswain’s Call Lesson’ on the lawns outside the Queen’s House.
A boatswain's call is a pipe used on sailing ships. Historically, it was used to pass commands that couldn’t be heard over the sounds of the sea and foul weather. It is also used for saluting a seafarer retiring from active duty, piping onboard important guests, and other significant ceremonies.
Sea Cadets units across the UK have been challenged to participate in a national task to play the ‘Call the Hands’ tune on the boatswain’s call at the same time on Monday 8 May at 16:00 pm to launch The Big Help Out.
FRIDAY 5 MAY
Talks: The Early History of the National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum was opened by the King’s grandfather, George VI, two weeks before his own coronation. He was accompanied by the eleven-year-old Princess Elizabeth. This fifteen-minute talk is about the first few years of the National Maritime Museum’s history.
Time: 11.00, 13.00, 15.00 Location: National Maritime Museum Website: www.rmg.co.uk/coronation Admission: Free
SATURDAY 6 MAY
Screening: The King’s Coronation
Talk: Queen Consorts
The Queen’s House was built for Henrietta Maria, Queen Consort to Charles I and Anne of Denmark, Queen Consort to James I. Learn about them and other Queen Consorts, including Queen Camilla, in these twenty-minute talks. Location: Queen’s House Website: www.rmg.co.uk/coronation Admission: Free
Art: Royal Drawing Workshop
Join a drop-in drawing workshop, focusing on the royal portraiture in the Queen’s House, including Queen Anne in her coronation attire.
Time: 11.00-13.00, 14.00-16.00 Location: Queen’s House Website: www.rmg.co.uk/coronation Admission: Free
SUNDAY 7 MAY
Talk: The Court of Henrietta Maria
The Queen’s House was built between 1629-1638 for the Queen Consort of Charles I, Henrietta Maria. Learn more about her court, her relationship with the Queen’s House and her role as a patron of the arts. Location: Queen’s House Website: www.rmg.co.uk/coronation Admission: Free
Talks: Royal Gallery Favourites
Learn about royal-related objects in fifteen-minute talks across the National Maritime Museum. Location: National Maritime Museum Website: www.rmg.co.uk/coronation Admission: Free
Step into the Seventeenth Century
Take a step back to the world of Charles II on the grounds of the National Maritime Museum with three seventeenth-century visitors. A cartographer will demonstrate traditional instruments used by sailors to help explore new worlds and chart the oceans. An astronomer will discuss the prevailing theories about constellations and stars, as known in the late 1600s. A rope maker will be on-site with a period rope machine.
Time: Throughout the day Location: National Maritime Museum Website: www.rmg.co.uk/coronation Admission: Free
Kids’ Trail and Crown-Making Workshop
Children can learn more about the royal history of Greenwich and make their own crowns for the coronation.
Time: Throughout the day Location: Re-Think Space, National Maritime Museum Website: www.rmg.co.uk/coronation Admission: Free
Art: Royal Drawing Workshop
Join a drop-in drawing workshop, focusing on the royal portraiture in the Queen’s House, including Queen Anne in her coronation robes.
Time: 11.00-13.00, 14.00-16.00 Location: Queen’s House Website: www.rmg.co.uk/coronation Admission: Free
MONDAY 8 MAY
Sea Cadets Guinness World Record
Witness how The Sea Cadets will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for ‘World’s Largest Boatswain’s Call Lesson’, with 250-300 cadets whistling together.
Time: 15.30-16.00 Location: Central East Lawn, National Maritime Museum Website: sea-cadets.org
Browse Fortnum and Mason's Special Coronation Collection
To honour the centuries-long relationship between Fortnum's and the royal family and mark this historic occasion, F&M's curated an exclusive selection of extraordinary things to drink, eat, and keep. It features a cast of gentle animals from the Commonwealth and beyond, plus a lush palette of heraldic motifs, regal colours, and iconic typography. (more here).
CORONATION EVENTS AT ST. KATHARINE DOCKS
St. Katharine Docks will be hosting the largest UK gathering of Dunkirk Little Ships in years, in a decor of union jack bunting and signal flags. During World War II, at Dunkirk, approximately 850 private boats and 20 warships saw the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the north of France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940. More than 200 ships were lost during Operation Dynamo.
Known as the 'Little Ships', many of these brave vessels live on, exquisitely preserved and privately owned. St Katharine Docks Marina will welcome 35 examples over the Coronation Weekend. The annual May Tea Dance will also be held on Marble Quay over the weekend, offering lessons and toe-tapping fun with the Ragroof Players dance troop.