6 November

Pre-dawn rehearsal for Lord Mayor’s Show surprises City workers

City workers were treated to the unexpected sight of the Lord Mayor’s golden State Coach and six horses making their way along the darkened streets around Guildhall, Bank Junction, Cheapside, and St. Paul’s Cathedral this morning. 

The Early Morning Rehearsal for The Lord Mayor’s Show, which began before sunrise in Guildhall Yard, provides an eye-catching preview of the largest and most colourful and diverse event in the City’s calendar.

With three days to go until the Show on Saturday, the EMR is the only opportunity for Lord Mayor Elect Alastair King and key members of the Show’s team to run through the timings and choreography with Pageantmaster Dominic Reid and his colleagues.

During the rehearsal, King, who will take office as the 696^th Lord Mayor of the City of London after a ceremony at Guildhall on Friday, rode in the State Coach, which has been used in every Show since 1757. 

Lord Mayor Elect Alastair King said:

“This morning’s event gives us a valuable opportunity to rehearse something that is, perhaps, impossible to rehearse in its entirety - a three-mile-long parade featuring around 7,000 people, 250 horses, and 150 floats, all of which is broadcast live on national television.

I hope that everyone who caught sight of us this morning had their appetites whetted about the Show in three days’ time.  We want as many people as possible to watch it, either, on the City’s streets or the BBC1 programme."

As Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alastair King will become the elected head of the City of London Corporation. He will serve as global ambassador for the UK-based financial and professional services industry and will succeed the current Lord Mayor, Professor Michael Mainelli.

The Lord Mayor acts as an international spokesperson for the City, leading business delegations overseas to key international markets on behalf of the UK’s financial and professional services industry.