Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
A right royal knees up
Hackney is set to have a right royal knees up as residents get ready to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
An extended bank holiday from 2 to 5 June will give local communities the opportunity to mark the first British monarch to reign for 70 years. Celebrations are set to include a spectacular Springfield Park event, street parties, estates’ Big Jubilee Lunches, and a beacon lighting ceremony.
Springfield Park celebration
The Springfield Park celebration, which is taking place on 2 June, from 10am to 5pm, has a free, jam-packed programme of activities for all ages.
Highlights include live music from the Grand Union Orchestra on the bandstand, tennis taster sessions, live poetry writing, family carnival fun, nature activities, Hackney Play Association sessions, rowing trials, woodworking demonstrations, a climbing wall and a
bungee trampoline.
Lubavitch Children’s Centre will also be at Springfield Park, with an inflatable Mount Sinai and family workshops.
Some activities – including fabric printing, guided history walks, a tree tour with Tree Musketeers and paddlesports and narrowboat trips from the Leaside Trust – should be booked in advance due to limited numbers.
The Springfield Park celebration is also a chance for residents to visit the newly renovated Springfield House and brand new Glass House.
Street Parties and Big Lunches
Over the course of the bank holiday, 22 Hackney streets are set to be closed and turned into a sea of red white and blue as residents get out their bunting and share food and drinks with their neighbours.
Over 30 Big Jubilee Lunch events are also being supported by the Council, after it received a record number of applications for Big Lunch funding of up to £500 this year.
The events, which will all be inclusive and accessible, will include barbecues, picnics and celebratory sit-down meals. At all events residents are being encouraged to bring a dish to share if they can.
Entertainment ranges from a fun dance workshop at the intergenerational event at Trowbridge Seniors Club, to live music and bouncy castles at several estates, and even a dog show at Albion Drive.
The Big Lunches on the estates are being organised by residents, Tenant Management Organisations, and Tenant and Resident Associations (TRAs).
Beacon lighting ceremony
Hackney will take part in a mass beacon lighting ceremony to mark the Platinum Jubilee, on 2 June. More than 1,500 beacons will be lit throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories, and one in each of the capital cities of Commonwealth countries.
As the sun sets, shortly after 9pm, the Speaker of Hackney, along with Lieutenant Colonel Morris, Representative Deputy Lieutenant for the London Borough of Hackney, will light a beacon on top of Hackney Empire.
This will be preceded by a small reception in the Speaker’s Parlour, attended by civic dignitaries and community representatives – as well as the winners of the Speaker’s Platinum Jubilee Art Competition.
Jubilee Play Parties
Celebrate the Jubilee at one of two adventure playgrounds on Wednesday 1 June.
Activities will be available at Pearson Street (E2 8JD) and Homerton Grove (E9 6BX) Adventure Playgrounds from 12-3pm.
There will be lots for kids to take part in, including fun play challenges, learning circus skills and even drawing a portrait of the Queen!
Tea, cakes and sandwiches will also be available.