There is plenty of pomp and no small amount of ceremony in this, a yearly event that has been repeated down the centuries. The Lord Mayor of London climbs aboard his gilded carriage outside his residence at Mansion House to join a formal procession through the monumental and financial heart of London - The City. The purpose is to claim allegiance to the Crown but the event has evolved to become a spectacle of broad and popular appeal. Half a million people turn up to watch the stately progress of the cavalcade past some of London's most famous landmarks, and millions more watch on television. The parade begins at Guildhall and proceeds to the Royal Courts of Justice before returning by way of Victoria Embankment. In the evening there is a huge firework display on barges on the River Thames, moored between Waterloo and Blackfriars Bridge.

Times
Leaves Mansion House 1100; Fireworks 1700.