The Lord Mayor’s Show has marched (and floated and trotted, and occasionally fought) through 799 years of London history, surviving the black death and the blitz to arrive in the 21st century as what must be the oldest, grandest and best-loved civic pageant in the world.
The 2014 Lord Mayor’s Show is on today. There are events all day and many other family activities and special exhibitions are laid on in the area.
08:30: RIVER PAGEANT
The original Lord Mayor’s journey was always taken by river. The modern Lord Mayor celebrates that history by traveling to the City in a splendid flotilla of traditional Thames barges and small boats, including the famous QRB Gloriana. Tower Bridge opens in salute at 09.25 and the new Lord Mayor alights at HMS President ten minutes later.
11:00: LORD MAYOR’S PROCESSION
This is a procesison unlike any other in the world: over 7000 participants, 20 bands, 150 horses, hundreds of other carriages, carts, coaches and other vehicles including vintage cars, steam buses, tanks, tractors, ambulances, fire engines, unicycles, steamrollers, giant robots, helicopters, ships, penny farthings, beds and bathtubs.
The procession sets off from Mansion House at 11am. It pauses at the Royal Courts while the Lord Mayor gives his oath and then returns up the Victoria Embankment at about 1pm. The Lord Mayor will get back to Mansion House just after 2.
15:00: GUIDED WALKS
In the lull between procession and fireworks you will find the remarkable City of London Guide Lecturers giving walking tours around the strange old streets of the City of London. The walks are easy and free, but they hope you will make a donation to the Lord Mayor’s Appeal.
17:15: LORD MAYOR’S FIREWORKS
The new Lord Mayor completes his first day in office with a magnificent fireworks display over the Thames. The launchpad floats in the river between Blackfriars and Waterloo and all the roads in that area are still closed, so you can walk freely around either bank of the river and find a good spot to enjoy the end of the Show.
