Platinum Jubilee Weekend in Cambridge 

Queen’s Jubilee weekend punting in Cambridge

What was the Platinum jubilee Weekend

The jubilee weekend was a time of celebration in Cambridge. The 4-day bank holiday from Wednesday, the 2nd of June to Sunday the 5th of June in 2022 marked the Queen’s platinum jubilee. This was a monumental event as the queen was the first ever monarch to have had a platinum jubilee.  Queen Elisabeth has had four big jubilees, each one marking a milestone. The silver jubilee was in 1977, The Golden was in 2002, The diamond was in 2012 and the Platinum, which we have just celebrated in June 2022. There were spectacular events and amazing activities lined up for each day of this jubilee weekend in London, and across the UK that were televised for everyone to watch and left us all in awe.

 

 

The lighting of the Jubilee Beacons

With over 1500 beacons that were lit across the country, it marked the unity of the UK. It should be remembered that the beacons were a tool to communicate. Thus, lighting beacons symbolises unity, which explains the story behind this tradition for jubilees, coronations and weddings. Cambridge took part in the ‘light of beacons celebration’ at the Cambridge mound on Thursday, the 2nd of June at 9:45 pm. The beacon was lit by the Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Julie Spencer OBE QPM.

 

Sunny Weather and vibrant Cambridge

The Weather was beautiful and sunny all the way throughout the bank holiday weekend, except for Sunday – which was on the grey side of things in Cambridge. Nonetheless, everyone in Cambridge was in great spirits to join in on activities and enjoy the street parties celebrating the queen’s 70th anniversary throughout the city.

All buildings were gowned in the 3 colours of the British flag, with bunting hanging from one place to the other. Shop owners got creative with their window displays to show the festivities in interesting ways. Some art galleries showcased artwork and paintings that featured the queen with different depictions of modern, and classic art. Meanwhile, Bookshops put on books about the queen’s history for their window displays. Whilst some restaurants and taxis just put cardboard cut outs of the queen’s guards or her majesty. And lastly some shops got crafty and made their own bunting themselves in a way that was much more environmentally friendly.

 

Touring like royalty

Some of our office staff went on a walking tour around Cambridge with Stride. We have always seen Cambridge from the river but we thought it would be a nice idea to explore the city on foot. Our tour guide was informative, fun and in the jubilee spirit. We grabbed coffee and a bite to eat around the independent cafes in Cambridge.

The Bould Brothers is a Cambridge gem for coffee lovers. Some went for their heavenly flat white with oat milk. We also tried their chocolate buns that were fit for a royal weekend. The rest of us went to Fitzbillies to enjoy some of their monumental Chelsea buns.

Brunch is always a good idea for the weekend, especially when it’s a 4-day weekend.

So many restaurants had bottomless brunch from Thursday to Sunday where we ate like queens. There were so many beautiful setups for afternoon tea that were so decadent and light.  Moreover, some restaurants added items that were only limited for the platinum jubilee weekend with their own twist on the famous coronation chicken.

Punting in Cambridge with the Queen

The traditional punting company joined in with the jubilee fun. We put out bunting that made our boats look majestic and colourful. The combination of red, blue and white looked spectacular and flattering for our boats. The tours were comfortable and smooth with our chauffeurs navigating through the river cam.  The interesting facts about Cambridge colleges and the queen made it all the more fabulous.  Some of our private punting tours had Harriets afternoon tea picnics, which were freshly-made and tasted so divine that left everyone feeling like royalty. It was the perfect British quintessential activity to be doing for the Queen’s jubilee and we loved welcoming everyone on board our Cambridge chauffeured punting tours.