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Lord Mayor's Show 2026: times, route and where to watch

Saturday 14 November 2026, free: the river pageant from 8:30am, the procession from Mansion House at 11:00, the best spots and why the Show happens.

Canaletto's painting of Lord Mayor's Day on the Thames in the 1740s: dozens of ceremonial barges on the river with St Paul's Cathedral on the skyline. Headline: The Lord Mayor's Show goes back to the river.Large "698th" with the text: Lord Mayor of the City of London. Not the Mayor of London. Alderman Bronek Masojada takes office on Friday 13 November at the Silent Ceremony in Guildhall, with no speeches.Large "1215" with the text: King John's charter let the City choose its own mayor every year, if each new mayor travelled to Westminster to swear loyalty to the Crown.Detail of Canaletto's painting showing barges in front of St Paul's, explaining the 8:30am river pageant from Westminster to HMS President, the first since 2017.Timetable: 11:00 Mansion House, 11:13 St Paul's, 12:11 State Coach at St Paul's, 12:31 Royal Courts, 13:10 return from Temple Place, 13:33 front back at Mansion House.Simplified route map: outbound in orange from Mansion House along Cheapside, past St Paul's and down Fleet Street to the Royal Courts; return in green from Temple Place along Victoria Embankment and Queen Victoria Street.Where to watch: Bank by 10:30, St Paul's around 12:11, Aldwych by 11:15, Victoria Embankment from 13:15. No fireworks this year; live on BBC One.The Lord Mayor's State Coach goes on show at the new London Museum, opening Saturday 28 November at West Smithfield, free with a timed ticket, open until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

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Saturday 14 November, free, and this year it starts on the river.

⛵ 8:30am: the new Lord Mayor, Alderman Bronek Masojada, travels from Westminster to HMS President on the royal shallop Jubilant with a flotilla of livery boats, the first since 2017
🥁 11:00: the procession leaves Mansion House: around 6,500 people, 250 horses and more than 50 floats
⛪ 12:11: the State Coach stops at St Paul's for a blessing
⚖️ 12:31: the coach reaches the Royal Courts of Justice for the oath
🔁 13:10: the return leg sets off from Temple Place, along the Embankment and Queen Victoria Street

Best free spots: Bank by 10:30 (the busiest), St Paul's, Aldwych by 11:15, or Victoria Embankment from about 13:15 for a calmer view. No fireworks this year (the last were in 2017); it's live on BBC One.

Why it happens at all: in 1215 King John let the City choose its own mayor every year, on condition that each new mayor travelled to Westminster to swear loyalty to the Crown. The procession has made that journey almost every year since.

Times from the official timetable at lordmayorsshow.london. We're independent and not connected with the Show or the City of London Corporation.

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Slide by slide.

  1. Canaletto's painting of Lord Mayor's Day on the Thames in the 1740s: dozens of ceremonial barges on the river with St Paul's Cathedral on the skyline. Headline: The Lord Mayor's Show goes back to the river.
  2. Large "698th" with the text: Lord Mayor of the City of London. Not the Mayor of London. Alderman Bronek Masojada takes office on Friday 13 November at the Silent Ceremony in Guildhall, with no speeches.
  3. Large "1215" with the text: King John's charter let the City choose its own mayor every year, if each new mayor travelled to Westminster to swear loyalty to the Crown.
  4. Detail of Canaletto's painting showing barges in front of St Paul's, explaining the 8:30am river pageant from Westminster to HMS President, the first since 2017.
  5. Timetable: 11:00 Mansion House, 11:13 St Paul's, 12:11 State Coach at St Paul's, 12:31 Royal Courts, 13:10 return from Temple Place, 13:33 front back at Mansion House.
  6. Simplified route map: outbound in orange from Mansion House along Cheapside, past St Paul's and down Fleet Street to the Royal Courts; return in green from Temple Place along Victoria Embankment and Queen Victoria Street.
  7. Where to watch: Bank by 10:30, St Paul's around 12:11, Aldwych by 11:15, Victoria Embankment from 13:15. No fireworks this year; live on BBC One.
  8. The Lord Mayor's State Coach goes on show at the new London Museum, opening Saturday 28 November at West Smithfield, free with a timed ticket, open until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
Sources (10)
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