Communities to be brought together during Coronation Weekend celebrations

King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla

Millions of people across the country and the Commonwealth are invited to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort over a weekend of special events.

• The Nation and the Commonwealth will have the opportunity to join a weekend of celebrations to mark the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort
• Coronation Big Lunches, thousands of street parties, and The Big Help Out will bring communities together over a special Bank Holiday Coronation weekend

The Coronation will take place on the morning of Saturday, May 6 at Westminster Abbey, London. Tens of thousands of people are expected to visit the capital city to experience this unique and historic occasion, with millions more watching from home, across the UK, and around the globe.

Coronation Big Lunches, thousands of street parties, and a day dedicated to good causes will bring communities together throughout the UK over the special Coronation Bank Holiday weekend.

On Sunday, May 7 a spectacular Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle will showcase the country’s diverse cultural heritage in music, theatre, and dance. One of the highlights of the concert will be “Lighting up the Nation”, in which iconic locations across the UK will be lit up with projections, lasers, drone displays, and illuminations.

Michelle Donelan, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, said:

"The Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort is a huge milestone in the history of the UK and Commonwealth.

"The weekend of events will bring people together to celebrate our Monarchy and the mixture of tradition and modernity, culture and community that makes our country great.

"Everyone is invited to join in, on any day, whether that is by hosting a special street party, watching the Coronation ceremony or spectacular concert on TV, or stepping forward during The Big Help Out to help causes that matter to them."

Tens of thousands of Coronation Big Lunches and street parties will be held in the UK and Commonwealth on Sunday and across the weekend. Big Lunches take place across the UK annually and last year they raised more than £22 million for local charities.

The activities on Sunday will culminate in a fantastic evening of song and dance at the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle, staged and broadcast by the BBC in front of an audience of several thousand members of the public, selected for free tickets via a public ballot.

The weekend of celebrations will end with the Big Help Out on Monday May 8 - a special Bank Holiday proclaimed by the Prime Minister in honour of the Coronation.

Created by Britain’s best loved charities and organised by The Together Coalition, it will highlight the positive impact volunteering has on communities across the nation.

In tribute to His Majesty The King’s lifetime of public service, The Big Help Out will encourage people to come out and support the causes that matter to them.

Hundreds of activities are planned for the day by local community groups, organisations and charities including The Scouts, Royal Voluntary Service, National Trust and RNLI. Further details and ways to take part will be announced shortly.

Peter Stewart LVO, Chief Purpose Officer at the Eden Project (who are behind The Coronation Big Lunch) said:

"We’re so excited about The Coronation Big Lunch on May 7, it is a fantastic opportunity to be part of the celebrations and something for us all to look forward to! The Big Lunch has always been about community - last year almost two thirds of people who took part said The Big Lunch had encouraged more people to get involved in voluntary work. Sharing friendship, food and fun together gives people more than just a good time - people feel less lonely, make friends and go on to get more involved with their community, all as a result of sharing a sarnie and a chat in their neighbourhood. The Coronation Big Lunch helps you bring the celebration right into your own street or back yard so that anyone and everyone, across the UK and beyond, can be part of this amazing moment in our history. Get yourself an organiser pack, knock next door and get planning - this is going to be an event to remember!"

Jon Knight, Chief Executive of the Together Coalition, said:

"The Big Help Out is going to be a festival of volunteering. A day when people up and down the country will roll up their sleeves and do their bit. In the run up to the day we’ll also be launching new ways of getting involved in volunteering in your community. The aim is to create a legacy of better-connected communities long beyond the Coronation itself.

"If you’re a voluntary group who wants to be part of it, please reach out now so we can make this the start of the biggest volunteering effort in our country’s history."

Notes to editors:

• The Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
• The Coronation Ceremony is a solemn religious service that has been held at Westminster Abbey for the last 900 years.
• As well as the UK, King Charles III is also the Head of State of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

Source : UK Government