As the Queen's Jubilee celebrations are almost upon us as we look ahead to the four day bank holiday weekend, many people are wondering where are the beacons being lit for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee?
There's a series of events planned to get the celebrations off to a flying start including Trooping the colour, a service at St Paul's cathedral, and a Platinum Party at Buckingham Palace to name but a few.
The celebration of the Queen's 70th year on the throne will be a bittersweet one without Prince Philip by Her Majesty's side but with the rest of the Royal Family expected to help fill the void, we look at where the beacons are being lit...
Where are the beacons being lit for the Queen's platinum Jubilee?
The beacons being lit throughout the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and British Overseas Territories, for the first time, beacons will also be lit in each of the capital cities of Commonwealth countries. The lighting of the beacon marks the recognition of the Queen's service for the past 70 years.
There are three kind of beacons -
- Community Beacons – thousands of beacons will be lit by communities, charities and different groups throughout the regions of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories.
- Commonwealth Beacons - beacons will be lit in all capital cities of the Commonwealth - 54 in total.
- Principal Beacon - to be lit on the 2nd June
The principal beacon is at the Mall in central London and you can find out more about a beacons using the official Queen's Platinum Jubilee beacon website.
You can search for Jubilee events near you by using this interactive map.
What day are the Jubilee beacons being lit?
The beacons are being lit on Thursday, 2nd June 2022. Platinum Jubilee beacons have often been used to celebrate milestone events. There are three types of beacons - a free standing gas fuelled beacon, a beacon brazier with a metal shield and a bonfire beacon.
The website states, “There is a long tradition of celebrating royal jubilees, weddings and coronations with the lighting of beacons. A beacon chain, once used as a tool for communication, has now become a symbol of unity across towns, borders, countries and continents and is often the central point of focus for any outdoor gathering or celebration.”
What time are the Jubilee beacons lit?
The Jubilee beacons are being lit across the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man at 9.45pm on Thursday 2nd June 2022 - with the exception of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Anchor Chain, which will be lit at 9.30pm, and the beacons along Hadrian’s Wall, which will be lit at 10pm and the international beacons will be lit at 9.15pm local time.
How many beacons are there in the UK?
There are around 2,022 beacons in the UK, and these make up more than 2,800 Platinum Jubilee beacons that will be lit around the world in commemoration of the Queen’s 70-year reign.
Beacons were first lit to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. They were used again in 1977, 2002 and 2012 to celebrate Elizabeth II’s Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees, as well as her 90th birthday in 2016.
The commonwealth beacon locations are;
- St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
- Canberra, Australia
- Nassau, Bahamas
- Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Bridgetown, Barbados
- Belmopan, Belize
- Gaborone, Botswana
- Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
- Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Ottawa, Canada
- Nicosia, Cyprus
- Roseau, Dominica
- Mbabane , Ewatini
- Lobamba, Eswatini
- Suva, Fiji
- Banjul, The Gambia
- Accra, Ghana
- St George’s, Grenada
- Georgetown, Guyana
- New Delhi, India
- Kingston, Jamaica
- Nairobi, Kenya
- South Tarawa, Kiribati
- Maseru, Lesotho
- Lilongwe, Malawi
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Putrajaya, Malaysia
- Malé, Maldives
- Valletta, Malta
- Port Louis, Mauritius
- Maputo, Mozambique
- Windhoek, Namibia
- Yaren, Nauru
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Abuja, Nigeria
- Islamabad, Pakistan
- Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
- Kigali, Rwanda
- Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis
- Castries, St Lucia
- Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Apia, Samoa
- Victoria, Seychelles
- Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Honiara, Solomon Islands
- Pretoria, South Africa
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Bloemfontein, South Africa
- Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka
- Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Dodoma, Tanzania
- Nuku’alofa, Tonga
- Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
- Funafuti, Tuvalu
- Kampala, Uganda
- Port Vila, Vanuatu
- Lusaka, Zambia
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