By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Where
- City of London
- Tickets
- Free
- Runs
- November
- Held
- Annual
The 698th edition. Procession sets off mid-morning and the return leg runs through the early afternoon.
One of the oldest civic processions in the world, nearly seven centuries of consecutive Lord Mayors, and it is completely free to watch from the pavement. The Gold State Coach is what people come for. Where you stand decides whether you see it properly or over three rows of heads, and the good spots are not the obvious ones.
What the Lord Mayor’s Show actually is
Each year a newly elected Lord Mayor of London travels from the City to swear loyalty to the Crown, and the journey has been made into a public procession for close to seven hundred consecutive years. It is a genuinely strange and very good spectacle: thousands of participants, dozens of floats, marching bands, livery companies, military detachments and the Gold State Coach, moving at walking pace through streets that are otherwise a financial district. No ticket, no barrier to entry, and far less internationally known than it should be.
Where to watch the Lord Mayor’s Show
- Cheapside, between St Mary-le-Bow and Bread Street. The pick of the route. The procession slows here, which means the Gold State Coach passes at close to a standstill and you get a long clear look at it. Arrive around half an hour before the procession is due.
- Ludgate Hill. The iconic shot, with St Paul’s Cathedral rising directly behind the procession. It is also the stretch that fills earliest by a wide margin, so it needs the earliest arrival of anywhere on the route.
- Fleet Street. Wide pavements, good sightlines, and it fills later than Ludgate Hill. A reasonable compromise between view and effort.
- The Royal Courts of Justice frontage on the Strand. This is the sleeper pick. The procession slows again on its return leg in the early afternoon, hours after the crowds at the start have dispersed. If you miss the morning entirely, this is where to go rather than writing the day off.
- The river. The day traditionally closes with fireworks over the Thames between Blackfriars and Waterloo bridges, watched from the embankments on either side.
Tickets and what it costs
There is nothing to buy. The whole procession is free to watch from the public pavement along the entire route, and there is no ticketed grandstand for general visitors. The only cost is getting there and whatever you eat while you wait. That makes it one of the best-value mornings in London, and it is one of the reasons it is worth prioritising over a paid attraction on the same day.
Official information and booking: lordmayorsshow.london
Getting there
St Paul’s on the Central line puts you closest to the Cheapside and Ludgate Hill stretches. Bank, Mansion House and Temple all work for different points on the route. The City is a weekday business district, so on a Saturday morning the Tube itself is quiet even though the streets are not. Road closures across the route go in early, so do not plan to cross it by bus or taxi once the procession is moving.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Other London events
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best place to watch the Lord Mayor’s Show?
Cheapside between St Mary-le-Bow and Bread Street. The procession slows to almost a standstill along that stretch, so the Gold State Coach passes slowly and close. Ludgate Hill gives the famous St Paul’s backdrop but fills much earlier.
Is the Lord Mayor’s Show free?
Completely. There is no ticket and no booking for street viewing anywhere along the route, which runs about three miles from Mansion House out to the Royal Courts of Justice and back.
How long does the Lord Mayor’s Show last?
The outbound procession takes roughly half an hour to pass any single point, and the full programme including the return leg runs across the middle of the day. The traditional fireworks over the Thames close the day in the late afternoon.
What time should you arrive?
Around half an hour ahead for Cheapside or Fleet Street, considerably earlier for Ludgate Hill. If you cannot make the morning, the return leg past the Royal Courts of Justice in the early afternoon is far less crowded.
Can you see the Gold State Coach up close?
Yes, and that is the main reason to choose your spot carefully. On the slower stretches it passes at walking pace within a few metres of the pavement. It is the only day of the year most people will see it in motion on the street.
Is it worth taking children?
It is one of the better London days out for children: bands, horses, costumes and floats moving slowly past at eye level, all of it free and outdoors. The main constraints are the standing wait and the November weather rather than the show itself.
Sources
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2026. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.