The Jubilee weekend – where to go and what to do around the EastLondonLines boroughs

Bunting out in Spitalfields. Pic: Louisa Plumstead

The Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend is upon us and it seems everyone, whether republican or Royalist is glad of the excuse for a party.

London itself is a bursting with bunting. Major ceremonies such as the lighting the Jubilee Beacons, on Monday, and the grand River Thames flotilla, on Sunday, will be attracting crowds all over the city.

In the EastLondonLines area there will be parties in the  streets and parks of every borough. Not all of them dedicated to the life of the monarch.  We list many of them in the borough picks.

The Stoke Newington Literary Festival, Field Day and Apple Cart are particularly good for those that are not such royalists.  We will be reporting live from the Literary Festival and from Field Day too.

But there are also many  Jubilee influenced events such as fire poi at Mile End, crown making in Catford and Royal-themed theatre productions in Lewisham.

And throughout the area, whether you are in downtown Croydon or deepest Hackney, there will be loads of street parties – both Royalist and republican. We unfortunately cannot list them all because local authorities do not release details on the grounds that they are essentially private events.

In central London, Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney and many more will take to the stage for the spectacular BBC Concert at Buckingham Palace on Monday for the lucky audience of 10,000 people, but it will be also screened across the country for everyone to enjoy. If you didn’t get tickets perhaps you could enjoy the Jubilee sing-along at The Royal Albert Hall instead!

A family-friendly festival will be hosted in Hyde Park – offering parades and Disney concerts over Saturday and Sunday. Battersea Park has a great line up of live music from new pop/indie acts to age-old punks, Dj sets and a vintage tea dance taking place on Sunday. A portrait of the queen will be made out of 3,210 cakes!

Jubilee Big Lunches will be taking place in various locations, on Sunday, including Piccadilly Circus and the Old Royal Navy College in Greenwich where a lunch table that is two thirds of a mile long will be assembled. So take a picnic and join in.  But don’t forget your wellies and an umbrella. Some thermal underwear might be useful too.

Or you can watch the royal procession on the big screen, on Tuesday, in Trafalgar Square. Or take a Jubilee-themed flight on the London Eye.

EastLondonLines have complied our picks for the Jubilee weekend across Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Lewisham and Croydon to help you find interesting  things to do over your long break – so have fun!

By Louisa Plumstead

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