The Lord Mayor’s Show and Fireworks

An age-old London tradition, the Lord Mayor’s show takes place every year and stretched back to the diary of Pepys and mentioned by Hogarth. When in 1215, King John issued a royal charter allowing the city to elect its own Mayor each year, he set a special condition; the new mayor must leave London city and travel to Westminster and swear loyalty to the crown. Today, the Lord Mayor’s procession is a faithful following of tradition, albeit with some changes to the original route and date over the years. The Mayor will travel in a 250-year-old state coach with pikemen through the busy streets as Londoners celebrate the tradition.

The day starts bright and early at 9am as the Mayor arrives in a flotilla which includes traditional Thames barges. setting off from Westminster at 8.30am. Tower Bridge will open in salute at 9.30am as they pass through. The world-famous procession will start at 11am from Mansion House, beginning with a 2 minutes silence, arriving at Victoria Embankment at 1pm before returning to Mansion House at 2pm. There are a huge variety of floats and 20 marching bands, so you’ll certainly be entertained. After finish a day’s work, the Mayor will set off a grand display of fireworks at 5.15pm with the best views found down by the riverside between Waterloo and Blackfriars Bridge.

(Lily Crossley-Baxter)