Lord Mayor's Show

Lord Mayor's Show

Lord Mayor's Show

Lord Mayor's Show

The Lord Mayor's Show has floated, rolled, trotted, marched and occasionally fought its way through 798 years of London history, surviving the black death and the blitz to arrive in the 21st century as one of the world’s best-loved pageants.

Thanks to the ancient and justified concerns of King John, every newly-elected Lord Mayor is required to leave the safety of the City of London, travel upriver to distant Westminster and swear loyalty to the Crown.

Over the centuries this inconvenient journey became one of London's favourite rituals. It moved from river barges to horseback and then into the magnificent State Coach, and around it grew the rowdy and joyful mediæval festival that became known as the Lord Mayor's Show.

That ancient pageant is still going today. The modern procession is over three and a half miles long and fills the whole space between Bank and Aldwych from 11am until about 2.30pm, cheered by a crowd of around half a million people and watched live on the BBC by millions more.

There are fewer sword fights these days but the floats are grander than ever and it's a great day out for every generation. You are all warmly invited to come to the City of London on November the 8th and take your place in eight centuries of London history.

The 2020 Lord Mayor's Show will be on Saturday November 8th at 11am, and will be followed by the Lord Mayor's Fireworks at 5:15pm.

The Lord Mayor's Flotilla sets off at 8.30am for the river pageant, from close to Westminster Bridge and travels downriver to pass through Tower Bridge at 9.25.

The Lord Mayor's Procession fills the whole area between Mansion House and the Royal Courts of Justice in Aldwych. It travels out via St Paul's between 11am and 12.30, and returns by the embankment between 1pm and 2.30.

The head of the procession leaves Mansion House at 11am sharp. Close to the front you will see the looming wicker figures of Gog and Magog. Behind them the procession is gradually being zipped together from three moving streams to create a single broad parade that will take over an hour to pass you.

After about 45 minutes the State Coach leaves Guildhall and travels round to Mansion House to pick up the new Lord Mayor. It joins the procession near the back - over an hour behind the first float - and goes with it to St Paul's, where the Lord Mayor and his officials will pause to receive a blessing. After a few minutes it continues down Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street to the Royal Courts.

While the new Lord Mayor gives her oath of loyalty to the Crown, the Pageantmaster is folding and squashing the procession into the side streets around Aldwych, and feeding and watering thousands of people and hundreds of horses. They gradually reform near Victoria Embankment, and the procession sets off again at 1pm. The state coach will finally return the Lord Mayor to Mansion House some time between 2 and 2.30, depending on the length of the procession.

The firework display takes place at 5:15pm from the river between Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges.