World-famous entertainers will perform at Windsor Castle as part of a weekend of celebrations to mark the King’s coronation, it has been announced.
The concert will be broadcast on the BBC on 7 May featuring “global music icons”, orchestras and a diverse “coronation choir”. It will come the day after the coronation at Westminster Abbey.
Processions to and from the abbey will take place, ending with a balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace.
These are among the new details just released on plans for the weekend which the King and Queen Consort hope will be an opportunity for friends, families and communities to celebrate together, said Buckingham Palace.
The concert choir will be picked from amateur choirs, including from the NHS, refugees, LGBTQ+ singing groups and deaf-signing choirs, reflecting the aim to make this a more inclusive coronation, which mixes the ancient and modern aspects.
There will be a laser and drone lightshow, but in an end to another tradition, there are no plans for beacons to be lit around the country.
Saturday 6 May: Coronation service in Westminster Abbey; coronation procession; Buckingham Palace balcony
Sunday 7 May: Concert and lightshow at Windsor Castle; Coronation Big Lunch street parties
Monday 8 May: Extra bank holiday; Big Help Out encouraging people to get involved in local volunteering
The line-up for the Windsor concert has still to be announced but organisers are promising “some of the world’s biggest entertainers”.
The event is expected to be a wide mix of music, dancing and a laser lightshow will be linked to the illumination of famous sites around the UK. For the Shakespeare-loving monarch there will be spoken-word performances from stage and screen stars.
Last year a concert was held outside Buckingham Palace for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, with music from pop performers such as Diana Ross and Sir Rod Stewart. Street parties and local get-togethers will also be held on the Sunday, under the banner of the Coronation Big Lunch.
Supporting the local community will be encouraged on the bank holiday of Monday 8 May, with the Big Help Out, in which people will be urged to get involved in local volunteering projects.
Previous coronations have also included the monarch making a broadcast to the nation and official banquets for guests and visiting dignitaries.
Source: BBC
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