24 August 2007
Take your place for the Lord Mayor's Show 2007
Event: Lord Mayor’s Show
Date: Saturday 10 November 2007
Time: 11.00am – 2.00pm (Fireworks 5.00pm)
Cost: Free
Tube: Bank, Mansion House, St Paul’s
Public enquiries:
www.lordmayorshow.org
Chinese acrobats will perform alongside military marching bands
in a blend of tradition and modernity as more than 6,000 people
come together to take part in the Lord Mayor’s Show on Saturday 10
November 2007.
The three-mile long procession winds through 1.7 miles of
streets in the Square Mile to introduce the 680th Lord Mayor of the
City of London. It is a celebration of diversity, bringing together
groups from Hong Kong and Kazakhstan alongside City bankers,
military bands, charities, livery companies, Inner London community
projects and many more.
Their months of painstaking preparation create a walking history
of the City – from 1189 when Henry Fitzailwyn first held office as
Mayor to today, reflecting the Square Mile’s reputation as the
world’s leading financial and business centre.
One of the key components of the Show is to develop social and
practical skills of young people in London and beyond by
encouraging and supporting their participation. As part of the City
of London Corporation’s commitment to education and inclusion, it
sponsors six floats from Inner London community groups, to the tune
of £10,500 each:
- Copenhagen Youth Project will reflect its
roots in Islington, North London with a giant mural of local
landmarks alongside "hoodie" sculptures.
- Ekta Project, from Newham in East London, will
promote its work with Asian elders through an Indian Bollywood
extravaganza – silk saris, flower garlands and ornately decorated
velvet umbrellas will adorn their float.
- Icon Theatre’s entry includes masked children
and young people from Hackney in East London who will reflect the
history of the East End.
- Progress has been working in Clapham Park,
South London to show how to bring derelict spaces to life – from
cultivating seeds, through organic gardening to cooking for healthy
living. Mandinga Arts joins them with a reinforced milk float and
seven-piece Cuban band.
- Sunshine International Arts have been working
in Southwark and Lambeth in South London to chart the history of
carnival – young people from a range of ethnic groups in Southwark,
Peckham, Walworth, East Dulwich, Nunhead and Camberwell will take
part in masquerade, costume and music workshops to prepare for the
big day.
- City of London Family and Young People’s
Service runs after school clubs, youth clubs and holiday
programmes for children and young people in the Square Mile. Their
colourful Show entry will follow the history of the City, from
Roman to modern times.
Ends
Notes to editors:
This year marks the 792nd Lord Mayor’s Show. The procession will
begin at 11.00am at the Mansion House following a military flypast.
It will travel from Mansion House, down Cheapside to St Paul’s
Cathedral, where the Lord Mayor will arrive at 12.10pm to be
blessed before proceeding to the Royal Courts of Justice on the
Strand. There he swears allegiance to the Sovereign. The procession
then makes its way back to the City, finishing at 2.00pm.
For tickets to the grandstand (£25 each), details from
the Lord Mayor’s Show website:
www.lordmayorshow.org or
call 01908 300 106.
At 5.00pm the Lord Mayor will light the touch paper to the
spectacular Lord Mayor’s Fireworks display on the river Thames,
between Blackfriars Bridge and Waterloo Bridge.
The Lord Mayor will be elected on Friday 1 October 2007 but does
not take office until the day before the Show, at a Silent Ceremony
held at the City’s historic Guildhall. A new Lord Mayor is elected
every year.
For Press enquiries or pictures from last year’s Show, call
Lesley Mair at the City of London on 020 7332 1754 or email
lesley.mair@cityoflondon.gov.uk.
Further information and photos can be found at
www.lordmayorshow.org