How and Where to Celebrate the King’s Coronation with your Children

This weekend, the nation has a three-day weekend (6-8 May) to celebrate the King’s coronation. Here are some of the amazing events taking place that you can talk to your child about and enjoy together.

Saturday, May 6th

CORONATION DAY

King Charles and Queen Camilla will be crowned in an official ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London. The religious service will be held at 11 am and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. The service will be televised and will be watched by millions all across the world! 

Sunday, May 7th

THE CORONATION BIG LUNCH

Members of the public are invited to come together to share food and fun. Pop up the bunting, get out the paper cups and tuck into some delicious homemade goodies with your neighbours! Thousands of events are expected to take place across the UK as people take to their streets, gardens, parks and community spaces to join in the celebrations.

THE CORONATION CONCERT:

A special concert will take place at Windsor Castle, featuring musical acts and famous stars from across the world. Among those performing are Take That, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry. There will also be a live orchestra, dancers and speakers, as well as an exclusive appearance from The Coronation Choir – a group of people brought together from community choirs across the UK – and The Virtual Choir, made up of singers from across the Commonwealth.

The concert will include a special feature called ‘Lighting up the Nation’, which will see iconic locations across the UK lit up using projections, lasers, drone displays and illuminations.

Thousands of members of the public will be at the concert after winning free tickets, alongside those who have been invited from charities. Everyone else can watch and listen to the action live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.

MONDAY 8 MAY

THE BIG HELP OUT

Everyone is invited to try volunteering and join forces to support their local areas. The event is organised by The Together Coalition and organisations such as The Scouts, The Royal Voluntary Service and faith groups from across the UK. Discover how volunteering helps to bring together local communities and the difference you can make!

WOW!

Keep an eye out for The Royally Big Portrait that will be on public display online and in spots around London! The giant digital portrait has been created by artist Sam Barnett and thousands of primary school children from across the UK, with help from BBC Children in Need.

 Thousands of young musicians will perform on bandstands in public parks throughout the weekend. The Coronation Bandstand Project, organised by the charity Music for Youth, hopes to bring communities together, provide a platform for young performers and promote local heritage and culture. There will also be a national fanfare composed by a young composer which will be performed at each of the bandstands. Check out more at: www.mfy.org.uk/get-involved/kings-coronation 

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Also, on this episode of FYI, the award-winning 🏆 weekly news show from Sky Kids & Sky News, they look ahead to the biggest royal event for 70 years! We’ve got all the info you need to know about the new King, investigating exactly what a King does and how he and the Prime Minister get on. We also explain the role & history of the monarchy itself. 🤴👸

🎥 Plus, FYI meets one of the hundreds of children that received a surprise invitation ✉️ to the coronation itself and hear how they’re feeling about the big day. 👀

Watch it now on First News Education TV. 

If you wish to read more insightful pieces that could be discussed with your children, visit the Talking Points section of our website.

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