The Lord Mayor Show Is A Splendid Celebration Of The City Of London's Tradition Since 1215

The Lord Mayor's Show has been an annual event since 1215AD when King John granted a Charter allowing the City's citizens to elect their own mayor. The Charter stipulated that the new Mayor must be presented to the Sovereign for approval and to pledge allegiance before the Lord Chief Justice and the judges of the Queen's Bench Division.

In its 794 years history, The Lord Mayor's Show has only been cancelled once during Wellington's funeral and has survived through everything from the black death to the fires and blitz.

The date of the Lord Mayor Show always falls on the second Saturday in November, and in 2009 it fell on Saturday, 14th November. The newly elected Mayor of London is Nick Anstee who is the City's 682nd Mayor. Dick Whittington held office in 1397 and was re-elected in 1406 and 1419.

The 2009 Show, as in previous shows, was a full day out for the family with lots to do and see. It started at approximately 10.50am and despite the rain, thousands of Londoners and visitors turned up for the celebration.

The starting point of this lively event was at Mansion House where the London Symphony Orchestra provided the music to liven up the atmosphere. There was a one mile race, split into six age groups, participated by London's best young runners representing their boroughs.

The Royal Air Force flypast to mark the start of the Lord Mayor's procession at 11.00am was unfortunately cancelled due to bad weather and poor visibility. The procession started punctually at 11.05am from Mansion House and marched along Cheapside to St Paul's Cathedral and then to Ludgate Circus, Temple Bar and finally arriving at the Royal Courts of Justice where the Mayor took his pledged of allegiance before the Lord Chief Justice and the judges of the Queen's Bench Division.

After taking his pledge of allegiance at the Royal Courts of Justice, the procession made its way back to Mansion House via a different route.

There were about 6,000 people in the procession that stretched over three miles. There were floats representing the business and residential communities of the City, buses, tractors, music and people on rollerskates. The military and naval forces were also well represented in the Lord Mayor's Show.

The Lord Mayor's Show was supposed to be concluded on the River Thames where the new Lord Mayor would start a magnificent firework display from the barges between Blackfriars Bridge and Waterloo Bridge. But unfortunately, due to the bad weather and strong winds, the fireworks had to be cancelled for safety reason. However, most people, especially the children, had a wonderful day out despite the rain and are looking forward to the next Lord Mayor's Show to be held on Saturday, 13th November 2010.