IN just 100 days, the Queen will celebrate reaching 70 years on the throne – and we’re all invited.
Brits are in for a four-day Bank Holiday bonanza packed full of festivities to mark Her Majesty’s momentous achievement.
The 95-year-old is the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee.
To mark the occasion, a variety of events and initiatives are taking place throughout the year, culminating in a four-day weekend in June.
The May Bank Holiday Weekend – which usually falls at the end of the month – will be moved to Thursday June 2 to fit in the fun.
It means millions of people will get an extra day off in the sun.
So with just 100 days to go, here is everything you need to know about the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
FOUR-DAY WEEKEND
THURSDAY JUNE 2
Kicking off the long weekend will be the Queen’s Birthday Parade, Trooping the Colour.
More than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians will join forces to mark the monarch’s official birthday.
There will also be a traditional RAF fly-past watched by members of the Royal Family from the Buckingham Palace balcony.
The event will be televised, but tickets for the spectacular event are available to the public, with the ballot open until the end of February.
On the same day, beacons will be lit across the UK to mark the occasion.
FRIDAY JUNE 3
The following day, a service of thanksgiving for the Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral.
Further details are expected to be announced in due course.
SATURDAY JUNE 4
Brits are in for a real treat on the Saturday with the Platinum Party at the Palace.
The live concert, broadcast by the BBC, will bring together some of the world’s biggest entertainment stars to celebrate the most significant and joyous moments from the Queen’s seven-decade reign.
UK residents can enter a ballot for one of 5,000 free tickets, opening on February 24 to March 23 through the BBC.
Also on June 4 will be the Derby at Epsom Downs, which Her Majesty will attend with other members of the Firm.
The race day is described as a “spectacular, gleeful, celebratory day where people come together to join in racing’s most unforgettable carnival”.
Tickets are available from £25 through The Jockey Club.
SUNDAY JUNE 5
The Big Jubilee Lunch will take place on June 5, with Brits invited to “share friendship, food and fun” with neighbours.
There will be street parties, picnics and garden get-togethers across the UK.
On the same day will also be the Platinum Jubilee Pageant where dancers, musicians, key workers, volunteers and military personnel will united to tell the story of the Queen’s reign.
A section dubbed the River of Hope will see two hundred silk flags process down The Mall, appearing like moving water.
OTHER KEY EVENTS
The Queen’s Green Canopy
Green-fingered communities and cities across the country have come together to make 2022 a truly special year to “plant a tree for the Jubilee”.
It works to protect 70 ancient trees and woodlands, as well as a training programme to teach unemployed young people new skills.
The Queen’s Green Canopy will continue throughout this year and into March 2023.
Royal Collection Trust
Three special displays marking significant occasions in Her Majesty’s reign will be staged at the official royal residences from July.
At the Summer Opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace, portraits of the Queen taken by photographer Dorothy Wilding between 1953 and 1956 will be on display.
At Windsor Castle, the Coronation Dress and Robe of Estate worn by The Queen for her Coronation at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953 will be on display.
And at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, visitors will see outfits worn by the Queen on occasions to celebrate the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees.
The Queen’s Private Estates
Free celebrations will also take place at Sandringham and Balmoral estates, for the public to enjoy.
Over the four-day June weekend, there will be a Platinum Party at the Palace on the big screen in the Royal Parkland.
The lighting of the Sandringham beacon will also be in the Royal Parkland, accompanied by live music from the Norwich Pipe Band and the Hunstanton Band.
The Platinum Jubilee Celebration
From May 12 to 15, more than 500 horses and 1,000 performers will create a 90-minute piece of arena theatre.
It will include actors and artists, musicians, international military displays, dancers and global equestrian displays.
The show takes place in the same arena used by Royal Windsor Horse Show during the day.
