Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations To Include Baking Competition, Pageant And Palace Parties

Jan 13, 2022 by apost team

On Feb. 6 of this year, Queen Elizabeth II will add another year to her reign as queen of the United Kingdom and the 15 Commonwealth realms, which will make her the first British ruling monarch to reach the 70-year milestone. In fact, she's already made history as she's the fourth longest-serving monarch ever. 

She's only bested by three other rulers, including Louis XIV of France, Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and Johann II of Liechtenstein. The longest reign stands at 72 years and 110 days, and many believe the queen could make it to the top spot. Meanwhile, the second and third spots stand between 70 years and 91-126 days, which means that by June, she might already hold the second spot on the list. Her Majesty is truly an incredible woman, and at 95 years old, it really looks like there's no stopping her.

A Platinum Jubilee celebration is set for this year in honor of the queen's 70-year reign. Details have slowly been released over the last few months, and we now know even more. The main celebration will be held over four days in June, before culminating on the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, which will be held on June 5, 2022. Additionally, the people of Britain will enjoy a four-day public holiday over the course of the weekend.

Other celebrations will also take place over the weekend and throughout the course of the year. These include the Platinum Jubilee Celebration, the Platinum Pudding competition and various exhibitions that will chart Elizabeth's accession, coronation and previous jubilees. What's more, The Queen's Green Canopy initiative will see trees planted across the United Kingdom in her honor. Let's take a look at all of the events.

Once Queen Elizabeth reaches her 70th anniversary on Feb. 6, the celebrations will begin. First up will be the Platinum Jubilee Celebration, which will be held from May 12–15. For the occasion, 1,000 performers — including actors and musicians — and 500 horses are set to take part in a 90-minute performance that will mark major moments in royal history.

But the main celebration will take place in the summer in June and will include Her Majesty's annual birthday parade, Trooping the Colour. Set to take place from Thursday, June 2 until Sunday, June 5, the public will also be treated to a four-day public holiday during the occasion.

It will begin with Trooping the Colour on June 2, which will see 1,200 officers take part alongside Army musicians and horses. The parade will mark the first time the event has been staged in full since the start of the pandemic. That same day, beacons will be lit in celebration in over 1,500 locations across the U.K., Isle of Man, Channel Islands and other U.K. Territories overseas.

The following day on Friday, June 3, a Service of Thanksgiving for Elizabeth's reign will take place at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. On Saturday, June 4, Buckingham Palace will host a live concert hosted and broadcast by the BBC titled Platinum Party at the Palace. It will feature performances from major names in the entertainment industry.

The four-day event will end on Sunday, June 5, with the Platinum Jubilee Pageant and the Big Jubilee Lunch, while over 200,000 neighborhood events will also take place.

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The Platinum Jubilee Pageant will see performers of all kinds, military personnel and key workers tell the story of Elizabeth's reign through the melding of various performance styles, including theater, music and more. A section titled "River of Hope" will be made up of 200 silk flags that will appear to move like a river, while a segment will include children's hopes for the planet.

Pageant Master Adrian Evans detailed that the event's budget is a whopping £10-15 million (around $13.74-20.61million) and will include participants from all over the U.K. and other parts of the Commonwealth. 

Other events include the Platinum Pudding competition, where U.K. residents over the age of eight have been asked to create a new pudding dedicated to Elizabeth. The finalists will compete, and a judging panel will select the winner, whose recipe will then become available to the public.

Three exhibitions that showcase the queen's accession, coronation and previous jubilees will also be staged across various royal residences from July. This will include portraits of the queen and her personal jewelry on display at Buckingham Palace, her coronation dress and robe at Windsor Castle and the outfits she's worn for previous jubilees, including her Silver, Gold and Diamond Jubilees, to be exhibited at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

The Queen's Green Canopy initiative will also see gardening communities around the U.K. planting trees in honor of Her Majesty's seven decades of service. Its aim is to protect 70 valuable ancient trees and woodlands as well as helping to teach tree-planting skills to unemployed young people. 

What a celebration! What event are you most interested in from Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee celebrations? Let us know, then pass this on to those you know so they can read about it too.