Lord Mayor's Show 2016: Route, road closures, and where to watch the fireworks

Everything you need to know about the 801st Lord Mayor's Show
David Ellis @dvh_ellis15 November 2016

For more than 800 years, the Lord Mayor’s Show has been celebrated in grand style and is a firm fixture in London's calendar: not even the Second World War could disrupt proceedings.

This year it takes place on Saturday November 12.

The historical event sees the Lord Mayor of London proceed from the Guildhall to Royal Courts of Justice, where he will swear allegiance to the crown. This year, London’s Lord Mayor is Andrew Parmley.

Here’s what will be happening:

9am – River Pageant

In keeping with the original Lord Mayor, whose journey was always taken by river, a flotilla of traditional barges and small boats will travel the Thames, including the Queen’s Row Barge, Gloriana.

It all sets off at 8.30am, things get going properly from 9am, and Tower Bridge opens in salute at 9.25am. At 9.35am, the Lord Mayor will board HMS President, London's famous submarine from 1918.

11am - Lord Mayor’s Procession

This is when things really start to fly: there’ll be more than 7000 people taking part, with a few unusual highlights: as well as 20 bands, 200 horses and dozens of carriages, carts and coaches, other vehicles among the 140-strong parade of floats include steam buses, unicycles, giant robots, steamrollers, penny farthings, tractors, tanks and even beds and bathtubs. Yes, bathtubs.

The Band of the Coldstream Guards lead the procession, which is never one fully formed thing, as it is three miles long, while the procession course is a little under two miles. The band march toward the Royal Courts, where the Lord Mayor swears allegiance, then after a pause, heads back to Mansion House for 2.30pm.

Following the procession is easier than ever this year, as organisers have released an app with details of what and who is going where and when.

For all the information about the day, visit this page.

3pm - Free Walking Tours

City Guides will be giving free tours of the old city streets, exploring all the mysteries of the area and revealing its secrets.

The walks start at No 1 Poultry, near famous London restaurant Coq D'Argent, and last for around 90 minutes. The route is suitable for all ages and is wheelchair friendly.

It’s suggested visitors donate to the Lord Mayor’s Appeal.

5.15pm - Fireworks

The main attraction! There’ll be a 15 - 20 minute firework display happening on the stretch of river between Blackfriars and Waterloo, to celebrate the beginning of a new beginning of a new mayoral year. All the roads around the area are closed (they’ll re-open around 6.30), so for a decent view, head to the riverbank (either Victoria Embankment or the South Bank), or Waterloo or Blackfriars bridges themselves.

If you want to wrap up indoors, the Oxo Tower, the Walkie-Talkie and the Shard all will offer reasonable views of the display.

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Road closures and getting there

The majority of roads in and around the City of London will be completely closed from the early morning until the early evening. Victoria Embankment won’t reopen until around 6.30pm. They're advising everyone to leave their car at home, noting that it's impossible to drive to the show "unless you are the Chief Constable."

The closed roads mean Londoners won't be able to hire a Sadiq Cycle in parts of the city.

Tubes will be open though, with Bank being in the middle of it all. Otherwise, St Pauls, Blackfriars or Mansion House will get you there, but expect all to be busy.

For all the information about the day, visit lordmayorsshow.london

Follow David Ellis on Twitter @dvh_ellis

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