Where to watch the Lord Mayor’s Show

It’s time to plan your itinerary for the oldest and grandest civic procession in the world taking place in London  in early November, as usual.   This is the Lord Mayor’s Show in the City of London.   Knowing the best place to watch the Lord Mayor’s Show will add to your enjoyment.

The show can trace its roots back to 1215.   This was when King John granted the City the privilege of electing its own Mayor – providing the Mayor swore allegiance to the monarch, each year in person.   And, more than 800 years later, this is still happening.   Not even the Blitz of London in 1940 stopped it.

The journey used to be from the City to the royal palace at Westminster. Since 1882, the Lord Mayor takes the oath of allegiance to the monarch at the Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ) in the Strand.

The procession will leave Mansion House at 11.00am, head west to the RCJ arriving around 12.30pm, before it returns via Victoria Embankment at 1.00pm.  There will be thousands of Londoners watching thousands of participants, twenty bands, 150 horses and many floats – if you’re going to watch a procession in London, this is the one.

It’s a free event, so getting a good spot and a clear view is a distinct advantage!   We recommend you stand on the large traffic island just to the west of St Clement Danes Church, Strand, by the Gladstone statue.   This spot is near the RCJ; which means you’ll see the Lord Mayor arrive and have time to explore among the processions carriages, pikemen and musketeers – as they await completion of the proceedings and commence the return route to Mansion House, at 1.00pm.

There is also a full programme of walks and events in the afternoon, including an enormous firework display on the River Thames at 5.30pm – obviously, pace yourself for this extravaganza.  For more information, please see the official website for details, below:

https://lordmayorsshow.london/