Lord Mayor's River Pageant

Many people are familiar with the Lord Mayor's Show, which forms the central part of a day of celebrations to mark the start of the new Lord Mayor of London's term of office.

Many people do not know that the Lord Mayor's Show began in 1453 as a River Pageant on the Thames, hence the term "floats" used to this day to describe the colourful Procession. The Show continued on the River for 400 years until the Corporation of London handed over responsibility for the tidal Thames to the Thames Conservancy, predecessor of the Port of London Authority, in 1857.  The Show then switched to dry land and continued thereafter as a procession of "floats" through the streets of the City of London.

The River Pageant was brought back for one year in 1953 to mark the 500th anniversary of the first event when a procession of 150 craft travelled from Greenwich to Westminster.

2012 saw the return of a River based event as a pageant of approximately 22 traditional Thames Waterman's Cutters escorted the new Lord Mayor aboard the shallop "Jubilant" from Westminster Boating Base downriver through Tower Bridge to HMS President.

The flotilla set off from Westminster at 09.30 and arrived at HMS President at 0930 where the Lord Mayor disembarked to continue his journey to the Mansion House by coach. The event will be repeated in 2012 on Saturday 10th November.

For more information about the Lord Mayor's Show, please see the website (opens in a new window).