Around 1,000 boats are beginning to muster on the River Thames on Sunday morning between Hammersmith and Putney ahead of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

The boats will set off around 2pm, passing Putney, Wandsworth and Battersea Bridges before the Queen boards the Royal Barge at Cadogan Pier by Albert Bridge.

The pageant will sail east for seven miles before ending downriver of Tower Bridge and dispersing in the evening.

The BBC will be shown live on BBC, and it will be shown on giant screens at parties in Bishops Park and Furnivall Gardens.

The first vessel is scheduled to pass under the bridges at the following times:

Albert - 2.45pm
Chelsea – 3pm
Vauxhall - 3.10pm
Lambeth - 3.20pm
Westminster - 3.25pm
Waterloo - 3.30pm
Blackfriars – 3.40pm
Southwark – 3.45pm
London – 3.50pm
Tower – 4pm

Order of the Pageant
Man-powered boats
The Royal Squadron
Dunkirk Little Ships
Historic Boats
Steam Boats
Recreational Motor Boats
Narrow Boats
Passenger Boats and Barges

Travel information
Public transport is highly recommended as there will be multiple road and bridge closures in place. Road closures will be in place from 7am, with some bridges along the route closed to road traffic until early evening. Please note rail and tube stations are also expected to be busier than usual.

Fulham Broadway; Clapham Junction; Vauxhall; Victoria; Westminster; Waterloo; Southwark; Embankment; Temple; Blackfriars; Mansion House; Canon St (tube only); London Bridge; Pimlico; Wapping.

Bridge restrictions
Different bridges are subject to different arrangements:
There are only three bridges (Lambeth, Westminster and Blackfriars) where members of the public will be able to stop and watch the flotilla. It is only at the extreme ends of these three bridges that congregation is possible. These will be extremely crowded, and members of the public will be subject to bag searches.
Organisers have made the central areas of bridges available to the riparian London Boroughs for allocation to local residents and also to a number of charities who are or part of every bridge as The Queen and the Royal Squadron passes underneath. The precise bridge arrangements are:

o Battersea and Chelsea bridges will be open for pedestrians from 0700hrs until early evening. Both bridges will be closed to traffic and are expected to be very crowded. These are for pedestrian traffic only, and not for viewing.

o Albert Bridge will be closed to all traffic and pedestrians starting from 0700hrs until early evening and is designated for invited guests from charities and the riparian boroughs.

o Tower Bridge will be closed to all traffic and pedestrians from 0700hrs until early evening and will host guests from charities and the riparian boroughs as well as private events hosted by the City of London.

o Millennium Bridge and the Jubilee footbridges will be closed and will host guests from the charities and riparian boroughs as well as members of the media

o Vauxhall , Waterloo and London bridges will be open to traffic and pedestrians, apart from central section bridge closures as the flotilla passes underneath them at points between 1500 and 1730. They are all expected to be very crowded and the public sections are only open for the purpose of pedestrian and vehicle traffic, not for viewing.

o Southwark Bridge will be closed to pedestrians, but not to traffic.

o Lambeth , Westminster and Blackfriars bridges will be closed to traffic and pedestrians, but each will have north and south facing viewing screens, with both ends of both bridges open to the public. However, members of the public will need to be counted on to the bridge to comply with capacity and subject to bag searches to maintain security.

Viewing areas
Spectators can view the Pageant from the banks of the river or from the large public viewing screens nearby, as the flotilla travels at a rate of approximately four knots down river, taking roughly 90minutes to pass any given point.

There will be disabled viewing areas on Albert Embankment, Victoria Tower Gardens and on Butler’s Wharf. This space will be allocated on a first come first served basis allowing access for one person and one companion. There is also a disabled viewing area in Battersea Park for the Diamond Jubilee Festival, which is a ticketed event.

Large viewing screens will relay the flotilla. These are positioned at the following locations:
Chelsea Embankment
Grosvenor Road
Milbank
Lambeth Bridge
Westminster Bridge
Victoria Embankment
Blackfriars Bridge
Disabled viewing areas
There will be four designated viewing areas for spectators who require disabled access. Please note that these will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Spectators who require disabled access will usually be permitted one companion. There are viewing areas in the following locations:
o Albert Embankment
o Battersea Park
o Butler's Wharf
o Victoria Tower Gardens

Disabled toilet facilities will be located within each of these viewing areas. Victoria Tower Gardens and Albert Embankment will both have viewing platforms for wheelchair users. For more information, please contact: viewingareas@tdjp.co.uk

Toilets
Public conveniences will be located along the route.

Diamond Jubilee Festival, Battersea Park
The festival in Battersea Park is a ticketed event, and it is fully SOLD OUT.
Gates open at 10am and the festival programme runs from 12 noon to 7pm.
Nearest main line stations and tube: Clapham Junction, Fulham Broadway and Victoria. Parking is not available at Battersea Park.

 

May 25th, 2012