Plans announced to mark the Queens Platinum Jubilee in Southampton
This year marks The Queens Platinum Jubilee, which is a celebration of the Queen’s 70 years of service
Southampton City Council has announced plans to mark the Queen’s 70-year reign, which includes activities such as The Big Platinum Festival in Mayflower Park, planting new trees, afternoon tea with the Mayor of Southampton if you are 70 this year, and information on how you can arrange your own community event or street party.
The Queen will reach the 70-year milestone on 6 February 2022, becoming the first British Monarch to do so. As with the Queen's Golden and Diamond jubilees, the first week in June has been chosen for the celebratory weekend, with the summer offering a better chance of good weather. There will be a four-day bank holiday between Thursday 2 June and Sunday 5 June 2022.
A series of events and activities are being planned locally in Southampton to celebrate this occasion:
The Big Platinum Festival – Sunday 5 June in Mayflower Park
Unity 101 Community Radio station based in Southampton is organising a special family-friendly celebration event at Mayflower Park to celebrate the Jubilee from 10am - 9pm.
Highlights will include local artists ranging from music and DJs to buskers, dancers and poets, food stalls and cooking demonstrations, funfair rides and family activities. Tribute Band, Forever Queen, will be performing hit songs from the music legends Queen.
More details can be seen on their website.
The Queen’s Green Canopy
To help the environment and make local areas greener, Southampton City Council will be planting 110 trees as a 'special gift' for the Queen in her Platinum Jubilee year. This is part of a commitment from Southampton City Council to plant approximately 300 new trees throughout 2022, which is part of the Greener City Plan to increase the city tree coverage by planting at least 5,000 trees by 2030.
Already, 40 trees have been planted in Townhill Green and a further 70 trees will be planted in Riverside Park this year. The trees will create a legacy in honour of the Queen’s leadership of the nation, which will benefit future generations.
As well as this, the council will be designing and planting special Jubilee Flower Beds in the summer with a Union Jack theme in Palmerston Park and two themed flower beds featuring the colours of red, white, and blue flowers in West (Watts) Park.
Jubilee afternoon tea with the Mayor of Southampton
The Mayor of Southampton would like to invite people who are celebrating their 70th birthday in 2022 for afternoon tea in the Mayor’s Parlour. Spaces will be limited, and the successful birthday guests will be chosen at random. More details of how to get involved will be announced soon.
Street parties in Southampton
More than anything, street parties have traditionally been associated with jubilees and the Platinum Jubilee will be no exception. Southampton residents can apply to close their street or road to host a street party to celebrate with their neighbours. Find out how you can organise your own street party with your neighbours.
Lighting Up Southampton for the Jubilee weekend
The Southampton City Art Gallery and Library at the Civic Centre and O2 Guildhall building will be illuminated each evening throughout the Jubilee weekend in red, white, and blue. The Queens Peace Fountain will also have a red, white and blue water display. Take a visit to Queen’s Park as throughout the Jubilee weekend the fantastic lighting scheme will be set to red, white, and blue.
Councillor Spiros Vassiliou, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture & Heritage said: “The programme of activities in Southampton to honour our Queen’s service have a real focus on bringing local communities together to mark the occasion with street parties and local events.”
More activities will be announced in the coming months. More information is available on Visit Southampton.
