Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant

On Sunday 3rd June 2012 The Queen will travel in 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 seven 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 travel aboard the Spirit of Chartwell, accompanied by music from a floating bell tower (the first of its kind ever to be on mounted on the river) of eight bells named after the royals, with peals being answered by local churches. There will be 10 musical barges, with an orchestra playing James Bond themes as it passes the MI6 building. Thames piers, riverside roads and bridges will be closed to traffic and there will be big screens along the route - which runs from Battersea Bridge to Tower Bridge - so members of the public can enjoy the pageant from a variety of vantage points. The pageant ends at about 5.30pm east of Tower Bridge, where there will be an 'avenue of sail' of more that 100 sailing craft too large to pass under London Bridge. However, organisers have urged visitors to avoid Tower Bridge, which will be raised. For families and others with children, Hyde Park and Battersea Park are good places to go where there will be music, funfairs and special entertainment laid on.

For more information and full details about the boats, bridges and best viewing spots please see out comprehensive guide on the London Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

TIMINGS:
The first vessels are scheduled to pass under the bridges at the following times:
2.40pm - Battersea Bridge
2.50pm - Albert Bridge
3.00pm - Chelsea Bridge
3.10pm - Vauxhall Bridge
3.25pm - Westminster Bridge
3.30pm - Waterloo Bridge
3.40pm - Blackfriars Bridge
3.45pm - Southwark Bridge
3.50pm - London Bridge
4.00pm - Tower Bridge

From midday - Hammersmith Bridge and Putney Bridge - vessel mustering
2.40pm - Official start. Royal Jubilee Bells start ringing and the floating belfry departs from Battersea Park area
2.50pm - The Queen boards The Spirit of Chartwell at Cadogan Pier
3.00pm - Bells in churches along the riverside ring
5.30pm - Last vessel in the flotilla, The Symphony, passes under Tower Bridge

THE BRIDGES:
- Battersea Bridge and Chelsea Bridge will be open for pedestrians to cross but they will not be permitted to stop and watch.
- Millennium Bridge and Golden Jubilee Footbridges will be closed.
- Vauxhall Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and London Bridge will be open to traffic and pedestrians, apart from central section bridge closures as the flotilla passes underneath them at points between 3pm and 5.30pm.
- Southwark Bridge will be closed to pedestrians, but not to traffic.

THE BOATS: Spirit of Chartwell - The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. The Queen will be met at Chelsea Pier by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.
Havengore - The Duke of York, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Boris Johnson. Boarding at Imperial Pier.
Trinity House No 1 Boat - The Princess Royal and Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
RNLI Diamond Jubilee Lifeboat -  The Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra.
Gloriana - Sir Matthew Pinsent, Sir Steve Redgrave, Paralympic champions and disabled British Servicemen.
The Symphony - The London Philharmonic Orchestra travels aboard one of ten music herald barges in the flotilla.

For more information and full details about the boats, bridges and best viewing spots please see out comprehensive guide on the London Diamond Jubilee Pageant.