Ok, time for a history lesson. Way back in 1215, King John issued a Royal Charter to allow London to choose its own mayor for the first time. Before then, the king would assign his own sheriff to rule. There was one condition to the new system of rule, though. Every year, the newly elected mayor had to leave the safety of the Square Mile and head upriver to Westminster to swear loyalty to the king.
So far, so medieval, right? Well, the ancient office and the annual procession actually still exist today. In fact, the 698th Lord Mayor of London is getting prepped for his duties as we speak. If you consider yourself a bit of a history buff, or just fancy catching sight of one of the Big Smoke’s oldest annual traditions, read on for all you need to know about the 2026 procession.
What is the Lord Mayor’s Show?
Dating back 800 years, the annual show is the world’s oldest civic procession and the first public engagement made by the newly appointed Lord Mayor.
On the day, the elected official, decked out in some serious finery and a big feathered hat, will climb aboard a 269-year-old golden state coach and head off along a 2.86-mile route through the city with 6,500 participants, 250 horses and more than 50 decorated floats in tow.
When is the 2026 Lord Mayor’s Show?
This year, the Lord Mayor’s Show will take place on .
The 2026 procession route
The procession sets off from Mansion House via St Paul’s to the Royal Courts of Justice, where the new Lord Mayor swears allegiance to the Crown, and then returns directly from Temple to Mansion House.
On the outward journey, it heads up Poultry towards St Paul’s, travels around the southern side of the cathedral and then along Fleet Street to the Royal Courts. The gold-drenched state coach is close to the back of the convoy and as it passes Mansion House the Lord Mayor climbs aboard to wave to crowds of onlookers.
At St Paul’s, the coach pauses while the new official receives a blessing, before continuing on to the Royal Courts of Justice.
The return leg of the procession sets off from Temple and travels along Embankment past Blackfriars station before turning up Queen Victoria Street to return to Mansion House.
Timings and schedule
The outward leg of the procession sets off at 11am, led by the Band of the Royal Marines, and takes around 30 minutes to travel the route to the Royal Courts of Justice. The whole procession takes just over an hour to pass and the last floats reach Mansion House just after 2.30pm.
Here’s a full breakdown of the timings on the day:
- Procession leaves Mansion House – 11am
- Head of procession reaches Royal Courts of Justice – 11.30am
- Lord Mayor joins the procession at Mansion House – 12.10pm
- Lord Mayor is blessed by the Dean at St Paul’s Cathedral – 12.20pm
- Lord Mayor arrives at Royal Courts of Justice to swear an oath of allegiance – 12.40pm
- Head of the procession sets off on the return journey from Victoria Embankment – 1.10pm
- Head of the procession gets back to Mansion House – 1.35pm
- Lord Mayor rejoins the returning procession at Royal Courts of Justice – 2.10pm
- Lord Mayor arrives back at Mansion House – 2.40pm
Best places to watch the parade
The procession is significantly longer than the route itself, so wherever you stand you’re pretty much guaranteed to spot some of the action. The biggest crowds usually form at Bank and St Paul’s, so it’s worth getting to these spots early on parade day. Otherwise, hang around Mansion House or the Royal Courts to catch sight of the procession’s top and tail.
The return leg does tend to be a little quieter, but there are still big crowds on Queen Victoria Street and up towards Bank.
Cars and buses are blocked off from entering the Square Mile on show day between 7am and 4pm so we’d recommend getting there by tube, bike or even by boat. Using the Central, District, Circle and Northern lines, City Thameslink and the Elizabeth Llne will all get you close to the action.
Road closures
Most roads in the City of London will be completely closed on the day of the Lord Mayor’s Show from about 7am (5am in the Bank area, midnight for Princes Street). The closed area extends from Kingsway to Bishopsgate, and from the river up to Holborn and Chapterhouse Street. Those roads are open, but everything between them will be closed. Most roads will reopen around 4pm.
The City of London has also warned of traffic restrictions extending north to Old Street and Clerkenwell Road. We’re also expecting heavy traffic in the area due to cars being rerouted.
London Bridge is open as usual, as is Southwark Bridge, although on the north side you can only get to Upper Thames St and Bishopsgate. Blackfriars Bridge will be closed all day.
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