The Pageant
Act 3: Let’s Celebrate
The third act of the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, Let’s Celebrate, will harness creativity, ingenuity, humour and community spirit. It will mash street theatre, music-on-the-move, urban dance, and the very best of Carnival, May Day, Mela, Fiesta and Mardi Gras to celebrate The Queen’s extraordinary life experience. This act will feature an outburst of performer groups from across the UK who have all created their own unique pieces for the Pageant:
Trigger
Bristol-based Trigger is an independent arts organisation, who create events that put audiences at the centre of the action. A single dancer – a young woman with a flowing baton in hand, will joyfully skip, dance and play with an epic 21 foot tall Hatchling dragon puppet, as they interact with the crowds around them.
Shademakers
Based in the Isle of Wight, Shademakers are bringing a historic display to the Pageant. Elaborate costumed figures representing the Four Nations and The Queen’s Beast s will take audiences back in time. During her coronation, The Queen walked past ten sculptures of heraldic beasts when entering Westminster Abbey and these will be portrayed by knights on horseback.
Nutkhut
Founded in 2003 in London, Nutkhut creates imaginative, stunning performance and installation – reimagining the old and telling the new. A celebration of weddings from around the Commonwealth will be interpreted in inter-generational Asian/Bollywood ‘mela’ style. A 4m cake will take centre stage as maypole dancers in Saris surround the scene.
Mahogany
Formed in 1989, Mahogany Carnival Arts is a group of artists based in Harlesden, London. They will be imagining the Coronation in Afro-Caribbean carnival-style. They will be roaring down The Mall depicting The Queen’s ascension whilst on Royal tour in Kenya. Their piece will feature an array of colourful costumes followed by a giant wire frame sculpture of The Queen.
Emergency Exit Arts & Mandinga Arts
This creative collaboration features technical marvels from Emergency Exit Arts, live music from Rhythms of the City and Mandinga Arts' extraordinary carnival puppets and costumery. The centrepiece is a mighty oak and maypole, whose conjoined ribbons form an image of The Queen. This celebration piece takes pride in our country's attitude to diversity and LGBTQIA+ identities.
Bridgwater Carnival
Bridgwater Carnival, based in Somerset, is one of the largest illuminated carnival processions in Europe. For the first time ever, rival creatives from Britain’s oldest carnival tradition are collaborating to interpret The Crown, Royal Heraldry, and the Royal Yacht Britannia.
Their performance will be split into two Great British parts – Happy and Glorious. ‘Happy’ shall be a street dance parade with over 80 dancers depicting celebrations, jubilee parties and Royal Weddings whilst ‘Glorious’ will feature a magnificent carnival float reflecting Royal Insignia, The Commonwealth and Pomp and Splendour.
Have Faith & Jeni Cairns
Have Faith and Jeni Cairns’ collaboration reflects The Queen’s commitment to religious diversity. Hundreds of children from nine primary schools across Greater London have collaborated to build and parade paper and withy butterflies, with iconography representing the nine principle faith groups. The centerpiece has been designed by Peterborough-based artist Jeni Cairns and features a willow and steel structure of open hands, which will offer up flowers and butterflies to depict the nine interfaith religions.
Global Grooves
Global Grooves will wow audiences with a colourful spectacle called A Sharing of Gifts. This new presentation is a reflection of our global interdependence and a celebration of our shared heritage and identity. Global Grooves will weave together creative elements musical phrasing, and dance movements that tell the story of today’s Greater Manchester, proudly sharing its story on the global stage.
Thames Festival, Kinetica Bloco & Oi Musica
200 dancers across 72 schools will carry River of Hope flags under the expert direction of Mr Leon Hazlewood. The partnership project between the Thames Festival Trust and the British Council builds on an existing programme called Rivers of the World.
Kinetica Bloco are a charity music band based in London, which have been together for 22 years. They will be playing music from Burna Boy to Alison Hinda, and Ezra Collective to Toast – all based around the theme of togetherness.
Dancers from Oi Musica, based in Edinburgh, will be in full flow along the Pageant route, with their incredible Southern U.S Style ‘souzaphones’. Their jazz-based street band will provide audiences with toe tapping tunes and fantastic percussion.
Imagineer
A comic slant on Her Majesty’s love of horses and corgis will feature in Imagineer’s section called ’The Queen’s Favourites.’ Rich with quirky British humour created by a Coventry-based outdoor arts organisation in collaboration with Midlands based artists and participants. A twenty-foot high puppet of Godiva will lead the procession, bringing with her gifts from Coventry, celebrating the ingenuity and industry of the West Midlands.
Cirque Bijou
Cirque Bijou’s large scale mobile stage will be populated by a diverse and dynamic cast of world-class circus artists, street dancers and urban athletes. Working with young dancers from Tottenham-based street dance company Steppaz and with elaborate bespoke zero-waste costumes from award-winning London-based fashion house Teatum Jones, Cirque Bijou’s mobile circus structure is sustainably powered and showcases the talent of tomorrow.
Kinetika & Jeanefer Jean Charles
Essex-based Kinetika have joined forces with a number of key workers from across the UK to celebrate their work over the last two years. They will be recognising and paying homage to those on the front line during the UK’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Queen’s commitment to public service is celebrated through silk banners, and mass choreography involving key workers and their communities.