Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant

Not to be confused with Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

51°30′20″N 0°04′32″W / 51.50556°N 0.07556°W / 51.50556; -0.07556

Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant
Logo of the pageant
Date3 June 2012
LocationThames River, London
TypeBoat parade
ThemeDiamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II
Organised byThames Diamond Jubilee Foundation
Hundreds of vessels pass Tower Bridge

The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant was a parade on 3 June 2012 of 670 boats on the Tideway of the River Thames in London as part of the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The Queen, Prince Philip and other members of the Royal Family were aboard vessels that took part in the parade. The parade was organised by the Thames Diamond Jubilee Foundation, and funded by private donations and sponsorship.[1] The pageant master was Adrian Evans.[2]

The vessels that took part included military, commercial, and pleasure craft. According to Guinness World Records, this was the largest ever parade of boats, surpassing the previous record of 327 vessels set in Bremerhaven, Germany, in 2011.[3] Sailing vessels and others too tall to pass under the bridges were moored as an "Avenue of Sail" downstream of London Bridge with smaller craft in St Katherine Docks.[4]

British media organisations estimated that one million spectators watched from the banks of the Thames[5] The pageant was broadcast live by the BBC and Sky News and subsequently broadcast around the world on other networks. More than 10 million tuned into the BBC's four-and-a-half-hour coverage, with an audience average of 10.3 million.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC_flotilla_announced was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC_barge_design_unveiled was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant cheered by crowds". BBC News. 3 June 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  4. ^ Avenue of Sail Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant official site
  5. ^ 1,000 boats, 20,000 participants and a million onlookers, The Guardian (3 June 2012)
  6. ^ Alleyne, Richard (5 June 2012). "BBC Diamond Jubilee Pageant Coverage slammed". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 22 July 2012.