The Lord Mayor’s Show 2020
The Show must go on:
Scaled -back Lord Mayor’s Show set to take place in November
The Lord Mayor’s Show, one of the landmark events in the City of London’s calendar, has been reduced and redesigned this year, because of COVID-19 public health restrictions.
The annual event, which traditionally features a three-mile-long procession of decorated floats, military bands, City businesses, charities, and schoolchildren, will now be held as a contained and televised spectacle in the historic Guildhall Yard on Saturday 14 November. Organisers are keen to stress that there will be no public access to view the Show from the pavements at, or around, Guildhall, and are encouraging people to stay at home and watch the live coverage on BBC1 from 11am to 12pm.
The theme of this year’s Lord Mayor’s Show will be a tribute, on behalf of the City of London Corporation and the Lord Mayor, to all key workers and their organisations for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As well as representatives from NHS frontline staff, the Show is expected to include a military band, charitable organisations, and the Lord Mayor’s Pikemen and Musketeers.
Subject to his formal re-election later this month, William Russell, the 692nd Lord Mayor, will serve an additional year in office to ensure continuity of leadership during the pandemic.
William Russell, Lord Mayor of the City of London, said:
“This year’s Lord Mayor’s Show will feel particularly special, because it will provide us with an opportunity to pay tribute to the vital work of thousands of remarkable people.
“From doctors, nurses, and midwives to care assistants, social workers, and bus drivers, these, and countless many other key workers and their organisations, have responded with admirable skill, commitment, and dedication to the pandemic.
“We owe them an immeasurable debt of gratitude so, come Saturday 14 November, we will use the Show to express our recognition of their contribution to London and the country.”
Dominic Reid OBE, Pageantmaster, Lord Mayor’s Show Ltd, said:
“My team and I have been working on creating a dignified and high-quality event, held in the City of London’s historic Guildhall Yard, and broadcast live on television, to enable as many people as possible to watch it safely at home.
“The scaled-back nature of this year’s Show is a response to these unprecedented times but despite being smaller in size, it will have a big heart and we are confident that viewers will be engaged and entertained by what we have in store for them.”
The City of London Corporation, which is headed by the Lord Mayor and supports the Lord Mayor’s Show, is the fourth largest funder of heritage and cultural activities in the UK and invests over £100m every year.