Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant

On Sunday 3rd June 2012 The Queen will lead a flotilla of up to one thousand boats from the UK, the Commonwealth and around the World for The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, an event which promises to be one of the major focal points of the celebrations held on the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend. The flotilla, expected to measure 7 and a half miles from end to end, will be the largest fleet of ships to be assembled on the River Thames in 350 years, continuing a royal tradition which dates back to 1533 when Anne Boleyn travelled by boat for her coronation. Millions of people are expected to line the banks of the Thames to witness the pageant which will include a diverse mix of the historic and the modern with rowed boats, sailing ships, steamers, wooden launches, canoes and Kayaks all decorated for the occasion. The Queen and senior members of the Royal Family will sail aboard a Royal Barge, accompanied by music from a floating bell tower (the first of its kind ever to be on mounted on the river), fanfare trumpeters and the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO). Thames piers, riverside roads and bridges will be closed to traffic and there will be big screens along the route - which runs from Putney to Tower Bridge - so members of the public can enjoy the pageant from a variety of vantage points. For families and others with children, Battersea Park is a good place to go where there will be music, a traditional funfair and special entertainment laid on. There's a cultural aspect to The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant serving as a reminder of the diversity of Britain and the Commonwealth's maritime history, but mostly people will remember it as an amazing spectacle.