The Queen's Jubilee Celebration

This year marks the Queens Diamond Jubilee, a celebration of Queen Elizabeth II and her sixty years on the British throne. The four-day celebration included a number of events,  highlighted by a thousand-ship flotilla down the Thames River, an evening Jubilee concert, and a Royal procession to Buckingham Palace. London was abuzz with Jubilee fever, decorations and energy.

Trafalgar Square was hosting a special show highlighting clothing styles and music through the decades of The Queen's reign.  (We stumbled on a rehearsal).

A souvenir stand with Jubilee goodies

Walking up towards Leicester Square

Large crowds and street performers

Indoor market decorations at Covent Garden

Decorated telephone booths were placed throughout London

No, that's not the Queen, just someone dressed up along the Thames embankment prior to the flotilla.

The flotilla crowd hoping to get a glimpse of the Queen's barge. The kids tried to squeeze their way closer to the river, but no luck because of how tightly packed it was. The news reported over a million people lined up along the Thames River.

Feeling the Jubilee spirit

There were 50 video screens placed along the embankment so people could still watch the flotilla. This is when The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Will and Kate) arrived at the Royal barge.

The Jubilee Concert was held outside Buckingham Palace and featured 22 artists including Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones, Elton John, Madness, Annie Lennox, and Sir Paul McCartney. Here is a video of Madness playing on the roof of Buckingham Palace and Paul McCartney closing out the show. We decided not to brave the crowds and watched the show from the comfort of our hotel.

The final day of the Jubilee celebration was the Royal Procession to Buckingham Palace. We went to Hyde Park to watch the video screen version. The park had food vendors and stages set up for performances throughout the afternoon. As with the flotilla, there were reports of over a million people for the procession.

More Jubilee spirit

The Queen making her appearance at Buckingham Palace with the Royal Family.

The Red Arrows zooming over Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park were a highlight along with hearing the crowd singing the National Anthem