Aberdeen set to honour Armed Forces past and present
28 June 2019
Aberdeen will welcome more than 1,000 serving, veteran and cadet force personnel when they parade through the city centre to mark Armed Forces Day on Saturday (29 June).
A large crowd is expected to watch the Union Street march, which will include massed pipes and drums and vintage WWII military vehicles, as it gets under way at 11am at Albyn Place and then heads to the Castlegate.
Local group the 47th Aberdeen Girl Guides will give out 2,000 free hand-held flags for the public to wave. One side of the flag was designed by competition winner Kitty Fraser, a P3 pupil at Kirkhill Primary School.
As the parade passes the Town House, the Lord Provost of Aberdeen Barney Crockett in his role as Lord-Lieutenant, will take the salute along with Lt Col Geraint Davies (Royal Welsh), Lt Malcolm Garrington (Navy Sea Cadets) and Sq Ldr Graeme Lawson (RAF).
Lord-Lieutenant Barney Crockett said: “Aberdeen always embraces this opportunity to say thank you to serving and former military personnel for their service to the country by turning out in large numbers to watch the parade.
“It’s heart-warming to see spectators’ young and old pay tribute to the British Armed Forces community for their hard work, dedication and efforts to keep us safe in the UK and across the globe. The pipe bands, marching personnel and military vehicles fill the length of Union Street creating quite a moving spectacle.”
The parade will be led by a pipe band formed from members of the Aberdeen University Officer Training Corp, London Scottish, Huntly and Turriff pipe bands.
The following traffic restrictions will be in place to allow the parade to pass safely:
Friday 28 June
No Parking from 6pm on 28 June until 12pm on 29 June on:
The north side of Albyn Place between its junctions with Albyn Grove and Rubislaw Place. Parade vehicles will be exempt.
Saturday 29 June
Roads closed from 9am to 11.30am:
Albyn Place between its junctions with Albyn Grove and Victoria Street.
Alford Place between its junctions with Victoria Street and Union Street.
Roads closed from 10.30am to 12.30pm:
Back Wynd between its junctions with Schoolhill and Union Street.
Roads closed from 10.45am to 12.30pm:
Union Street between its junctions with Holburn Street and Castle Street.
Castle Street between its junctions with Union Street and King Street.
King Street between its junctions with Castle Street and West North Street.
Chapel Street between its junctions with Union Street and Thistle Street.
Alternative routes will be available.
Suspension of no right turns from 10.45 to 12.30pm:
From King Street on to West North Street.
From Rosemount Viaduct on to Skene Street.
From Holburn Street on to Willowbank Road.
No left turns from 10.45am to 12.30pm
From Hadden Street on to Market Street.
The one-way restriction will be suspended from 10.45am to 12.30pm:
On Exchequer Row and Shiprow.
No waiting from 10am to 1pm, with the exception of any waiting taxi, on the west side of Chapel Street, north of the junction with Thistle Street for 53 metres or thereby. Also, on the west side of Union Terrace, between its junctions with Union Street and Diamond Place. These areas provide temporary taxi ranks for this period.
Later opening time for car park:
Due to the road closures nearby, the Marischal College car park, which is accessed from Queen Street, will open later than usual at 1pm. All other city centre car parks will be open as normal.