Calderdale is gearing up to make the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee an occasion to remember for years to come.
Communities across the borough will come together to celebrate 70 years of Her Majesty’s service during the Jubilee Weekend from Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 June 2022.
Plans for events and activities throughout Calderdale are well underway, from music and performances to gatherings and displays, and many more are expected to be announced over the coming weeks.
The Mayor of Calderdale, Cllr Chris Pillai, said:
“The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is a landmark moment that everyone across our communities can get involved in. From sharing a cuppa with a neighbour on the doorstep for the Big Jubilee Lunch, to gathering in the iconic local venues holding events, it will be something to remember for generations to come.
“As well as the civic events including a procession through Halifax town centre, and some fantastic activities from Council services such as museums and libraries, we’re delighted to see local organisations and communities leading the way in the celebrations.
“Calderdale is the perfect place for such a momentous occasion, with our landscape, historic architecture, culture and community spirit providing a distinctive backdrop as we thank the Queen for her incredible reign.”
Just some of the events and activities in Calderdale to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee include:
- The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Beacon Trail
Starting in May, this is a specially created, augmented reality, outdoor trail happening across the country. Key locations in Halifax will feature on the trail, including Halifax Borough Market, The Piece Hall, Halifax Minster and Dean Clough. People can visit each location, scan a QR code and see characters from Buckingham Palace come to life in augmented reality, learning about different decades in the Queen’s 70-year reign. Fun for all the family, players can collect digital stamps, engage with the stories, answer questions, choose how to progress their own journey and take selfies with digital prize badges.
- Civic celebrations at The Piece Hall, Halifax – Thursday 2 June
10am – 12.30pm: Trooping the Colour (BBC content shown on the big screen)
2pm: Town Crier undertakes the proclamation announcing the beacon lighting that will follow that night
8pm: Procession of dignitaries from Halifax Town Hall
8.30pm: Speeches by the Deputy Lieutenant, the High Sheriff, the Mayor of Calderdale, the Leader and Chief Executive of Calderdale Council and the Vice Chair of Calderdale Interfaith Council
9.30pm: Drummers
9.35pm: Piper playing ‘Diu Regnare’
9.40pm: Bugle Call, ‘Majesty’
9.45pm: Beacon on Beacon Hill being lit (footage will be shown on the big screen in The Piece Hall). The Calderdale Choir will sing ‘A Song for the Commonwealth’
10pm: Close
- More events at The Piece Hall
Friday 3 June: The Piece Hall will welcome teams from the emergency services for a family fun day. They will be bringing some of their vehicles into the courtyard for children to see up close. There will also be musical entertainment throughout the day from a number of the emergency service bands.
Saturday 4 June: The Piece Hall’s courtyard will be alive with music as it hosts a Concert for The Queen, featuring a broad range of local and national talent.
- The Big Jubilee Lunch
On Sunday 5 June, people across the country will take part in the Big Jubilee Lunch. Why not have a cuppa with a neighbour on your doorstep or have a picnic, barbecue or street party with family, friends and neighbours? For more inspiration to enjoy this community-based event, visit www.edenprojectcommunities.com/the-big-jubilee-lunch(external link)
Sunday 5 June also sees The Piece Hall welcome the whole community to come together to share friendship, food and fun with a traditional picnic-style Big Jubilee Lunch. There will be vintage musical entertainment throughout the day and the winner of the Calderdale Schools Jubilee plaque design competition will be revealed. The completed piece will be unveiled by the Lord Lieutenant that afternoon.
- The Queen and Calderdale – Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee exhibition at Bankfield Museum, Halifax
In June, the Council will hold an exhibition at Bankfield Museum to celebrate Her Majesty’s reign and how it has been marked in Calderdale. It will include objects from the museum collection relating to the visit by the young Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip to Halifax in 1949, as well as Royal memorabilia from the Queen’s Coronation and the Silver and Golden Jubilees. Local people are invited to get involved by contributing pictures of street parties held on those occasions for use in the exhibition.
The display will be a colourful, nostalgic and uplifting celebration of the relationship between Her Majesty and the people of Calderdale. Pride of place will be a dress said to be worn by the Queen at a garden party in the 1960s.
- Calderdale library activities
The activities in Calderdale Council libraries will include crown making, a street party and cake competition, a Buckingham Palace cardboard craft session and an afternoon tea party. There will be special book displays and a display and activities showing what life was like in 1952. More events will be announced over the coming weeks.
www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/residents/leisure-and-culture/libraries
- Rotary South West of Yorkshire – The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee garden
Rotary Clubs in the South West of Yorkshire are creating a centenary garden, with a commemorative stone at Crow Wood Park in Sowerby Bridge, Calderdale.
- Halifax Minster events:
Thursday 2 to Monday 6 June: Flower Festival
Sunday 5 June, 6pm – 7pm: Jubilee Civic Service
https://halifaxminster.org.uk/events(external link)
- The Council is working with Calderdale’s Town Boards to bring the Jubilee celebrations to life right across the borough.
For more information on how to get involved in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, visit www.royal.uk/platinumjubilee(external link)