The Lord Mayor’s Show

One of the biggest annual parades through the streets of London takes place this Saturday 10 November, when the new Lord Mayor of London in his famous horse drawn gold state carriage will be at the centre of a huge cavalcade that will snake its way through the streets of the City of London during the Lord Mayor’s Show.

London has had a Lord Mayor since 1189, elected by the City of London’s Livery companies or trade associations, the City being the original centre for business and commerce in London. The Lord Mayor’s Show has been happening since 1215 when a Charter signed by King John stated that the new Lord Mayor must be presented to the Sovereign for approval and to swear fealty to the Crown. Ever since the Lord Mayor has made the trip from the City to Westminster the day after taking part in the Silent Ceremony at the Guildhall.

The new Lord Mayor, David Lewis, is a lawyer and businessman who was elected at the beginning of October and will serve in the office for one year. The show that celebrates his taking up the position last year featured 180 vehicles, 66 floats, 21 marching bands including many military ones, 21 carriages, the giant figures of the City’s guardians Gog and Magog, 6,000 people, military personnel, historic weapons and tanks, and stretched for three miles.

It starts at 11am after a Royal Air Force flypast at the Guildhall before moving east along Gresham Street to the Mansion House where the new Lord Mayor will join the parade. From there it heads back west to St Paul’s Cathedral where there’s a halt while the Lord Mayor gets blessed, then its on down Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street to the Royal Courts of Justice where he will take the oath of allegiance around 12.45pm.

At around 1pm the procession begins to start making its way back to the Mansion House along Victoria Embankment and Queen Victoria Street. At 5pm there will be a fireworks display launched from a barge in the River Thames between Blackfriars and Waterloo Bridges.

The Lord Mayor’s Show is a great free family day out and draws hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets of London each November. Some areas will be very busy but you’ll be a able to find a vantage point somewhere along its route and taking a camera is well worth while.