Inside Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and the key dates YOU need to know

BRITS will celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a four-day bank holiday bonanza this June.

There’ll be parties across the UK as the nation marks 70 years of the Queen’s rule.

But they’re not the only important dates to look forward to – with cake-baking competitions, ceremonial displays and live concerts all planned for the commemoration.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the celebrations.

Today

A national pudding competition organised by Fortnum & Mason opens for entries today.

Competitors will create the perfect dessert for the Platinum Pudding campaign.

The winner, chosen by judges including Dame Mary Berry, Monica Galetti, and the head chef at Buckingham Palace, will be cooked in homes across the country.

The final day for entries is February 4, and a live final will take place on March 14.

Today is also a great day to book in three days of holiday – and get a whopping nine off.

Thanks to the four-day weekend between June 2 and 5, Brits can get a lengthy break from work without it costing too much holiday.

Workers who take off Monday, May 30, Tuesday, May 31, and Wednesday, June 1 will actually get nine full days.

That’s because they’ll already have the weekend of Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29 off – followed by the bank holiday itself.

The coming days

One of the most iconic moments of the Jubilee will likely be Trooping the Colour, which takes place on June 2, the date of the Queen’s annual birthday parade.

Thousands are expected to line the streets between Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards Parade to see the royals.

Some 1,200 Army officers will take part in the famous event, which will take place in London for the first time since 2019.

Tickets for the ceremony itself – always in high demand – are to be allocated by ballot.

Applications are expected to open in the coming days – but anyone who wants to bag a space should keep an eye out on the Army website, where tickets have previously been made available.

February

Some of the biggest names in entertainment will perform at the highly-anticipated Platinum Party at the Palace.

The event will celebrate some of the major moments of the Queen’s resign.

And a handful of lucky Brits will be there in person.

The ballot, for UK residents only, opens next month.

Singers haven’t yet been confirmed – but previous parties have featured Paul McCartney and Elton John.

The show will be broadcast all over the world, so if you don’t manage to get a ticket, you’ll still be able to watch from the comfort of your living room.

May

The Platinum Jubilee Celebration will take place between May 12 and 15 at Windsor Castle

This is set to be a three-day spectacular, with more than 500 horses and 1,000 performers taking their audience on a ‘gallop’ through history.

The 90-minute show will begin with the life of Elizabeth I, before ending in the present day.

Music will be arranged and composed for the National Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets are now available.

Thursday, June 2

The long weekend will begin with a bang as the Birthday Parade begins.

The May Bank Holiday Weekend is to be moved to June 2 for the celebrations.

On this day, the 1st Battalion Irish Guards and 1,200 officers and soldiers from the Household Division will put on a display of military pageantry on Horse Guards Parade.

On the same day, more than 1,500 towns, villages and cities throughout the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories will light a beacon to mark the Jubilee.

Beacons will also be lit in each of the capital cities of Commonwealth countries, with the principal beacon lit in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Friday, June 3

On the Friday, a Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral.

During the Diamond Jubilee service of thanksgiving, then-PM David Cameron gave a reading.

It’s not yet known if Boris Johnson will speak at this year’s event, although that may well be likely.

Saturday, June 4

The Platinum Party at the Palace will take place today.

Some of the world’s biggest performers will entertain the nation during the event.

And while they’ve not yet been named, it’s understood Sir Elton John, Ed Sheeran and Stevie Wonder are being lined up.

No matter who does perform, it’s sure to be an amazing night.

The concert is likely to be similar to the Golden Jubilee concert in 2002 and the Diamond Jubilee concert in 2012.

At the concert in 2012, 10,000 tickets were made available to the public via a balloting system – with an astonishing 1.2million applying.

Robbie Williams, Dame Shirley Bassey and Kylie Minogue performed, while Madness did their show from the roof of Buckingham Palace.

Elsewhere, the Queen and members of the Royal Family will attend the Derby at Epsom Downs.

Sunday, June 5

A Big Jubilee Lunch will take place in the streets as Brits break bread with their neighbours.

Flagship lunches are planned in London and at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

Buckingham Palace expects more than 200,000 neighbourhood parties and celebrations to be held across the UK.

A Platinum Jubilee Pageant will also be staged in London in the afternoon, with artistic performers, dancers, musicians, military personnel, key workers and volunteers uniting to tell the story of the Queen’s 70-year reign.

Elsewhere, a ‘River of Hope’ section will see secondary school children walking down the Mall with 200 silk flags.