The city of Aberdeen is preparing to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a number of events planned to allow residents and visitors to the city the chance to take part in the historic celebrations.
The celebrations will begin on the evening of Thursday 2nd June when a traditional beacon will be lit outside Marischal College on Broad Street, at the same time as numerous others being lit the length and breadth of the country.
Earlier in the day, the official Proclamation will be read at the Mercat Cross on the Castlegate at 2pm, announcing the lighting of the beacon later that evening. Then from 9.30pm, a short ceremony will be held outside Marischal College involving a local lone piper and invited dignitaries.
As the 2,022 beacons are lit across the UK and throughout the Commonwealth a local choir will perform ‘A Song for the Commonwealth – A Life Lived with Grace’ as a unique musical tribute to Her Majesty The Queen.
The focal point of the extended national jubilee weekend will be on Sunday 5th June when a Queen’s Jubilee Family Picnic will be held at Duthie Park from 11.30am – 2.30pm which will be hosted by Aberdeen’s Lord Provost.
The free to attend family picnic will be a fun-filled event with live music performed from the Duthie Park bandstand, children’s entertainment and sport activities. The public are being asked to bring their own picnics; however, the Duthie Park Café will be open and can provide take-away afternoon teas as well as other food and beverages.
In his role as Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant, Aberdeen Lord Provost Councillor Barney Crockett said: “We are delighted to be participating in and giving the citizens of Aberdeen an opportunity to attend the celebrations to mark the historic occasion of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
“Her Majesty has a genuine special bond with the city of Aberdeen and its people, and we’ve been fortunate to have had a number of visits from The Queen over the 70 years of her reign, including visits to mark all three of her previous jubilees in 1977, 2002 and 2012.
“The lighting of the official Beacon and the Queen’s Jubilee Family Picnic at Duthie Park will be a fantastic opportunity for the citizens of Aberdeen to come together as a community and celebrate this historic occasion that is sure to be remembered for years to come across the generations.”
Other events to mark the jubilee are also planned include a private Service of Thanksgiving for Her Majesty The Queen on Sunday 12 June and as a Champion City, Aberdeen will also plant a commemorative tree in Hazlehead Park as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy Project later this year. Find out more information on the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebrations.