- Event Promotion Tips
8 event ideas to celebrate the King’s Coronation
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By Ryan Moss
- 06 Apr 2023
- 10 min read
Why is the King’s Coronation important for promoters?
Royal events get everyone talking, but the King’s Coronation is special.
The last time the country saw someone crowned as a monarch was in 1953. For the majority of the U.K., the King’s Coronation will be the first time they’ve seen anything like this.
We’ve had jubilees and weddings. They’re huge events, don’t get us wrong. But a coronation is the beginning of a new era, a passing of the torch played out in the most literal sense. Plus, it’s a bank holiday. These two things can only mean one thing: a chance to organise a memorable event.
But don’t just take our word for it, have a look at the numbers. According to Statista, it was estimated that Brits would spend 2.3 billion pounds on food from stores and at pubs and restaurants across 2-5th June 2022.
So, the 6th of May looks set to be a knockout weekend. Do you need some ideas for events? Scroll down below to get our tips.
Get traditional with a street party
Organising a community event? You can’t go wrong with a street party.
It’s quintessentially British. Whenever a Royal event is in full swing, people love a street party. It suits all ages, too. Members of every generation can sit beside each other to celebrate.
But what do you need to put one on? If you’re selling alcohol, a temporary events notice. You can get one from your council, as well as a music licence if you’re planning to play some classic royal anthems.
It’s worth getting in touch with the council if you’re going to do a raffle. For ticketed events, you might have to register it as a lottery. The same applies if the total of your prizes comes to more than £500.
Are you planning on closing the road? If you are, let the council know. You’ll need their permission and a route the emergency services can access. You’ll need to let the necessary emergency services know, too.
Live stream the King’s Coronation
Viewing figures for the Jubilee hit a peak audience of 7.5 million. We can expect the King’s coronation to hit similar, if not more, numbers.
So, that means people are watching. What better way to add to the occasion than hosting a viewing party? You can host it in a community centre, a bar, or outdoors.
Like other royal events, the coronation is expected to be shown on all the major channels. However, the BBC has announced that they’ll be waiving the licence fee for the day.
If you’re hosting in a pub or bar you might already have the equipment needed. It’s a quick and easy way of getting people in the building, make sure to decorate the place with flags and bunting. If you don’t have the facilities, you’ll need a projector to provide the highest quality of the broadcast.
You can’t charge for the broadcast if you’re using the BBC’s coverage. It’s supposed to be free, so if you go down this route, make it clear to your attendees that the ticket cost covers overheads or any external things you’ve brought in for the day like catering.
Get crafting
A craft day is a great way to get the creativity flowing this May.
Ultimately, it’s up to you. But this is an event which you can organise for adults, young people or both. Why not ask local craft artists to host some workshops on the day? It’s a fun way of encouraging people to express themselves.
If you’re aiming the event at young people, flags, felt crowns and lolly stick soldiers are just a few ideas for things to create. You could even print out some royal-inspired colouring sheets to mix things up on the day, too. All of these ideas work as coronation-inspired decorations.
We’ve written about craft-type events before. We always advise: If you can, collaborate with a youth group that can provide arts and crafts materials. The local area will benefit from the two groups collaborating.
Educate the younger members of the community
A reading day is another event type aimed at young people. As we said earlier, the King’s Coronation will be the first time some people have ever seen an event like this.
The monarchy is steeped in history and plays an intrinsic role in the makeup of the country. Why not educate the younger people in your community about the royals that have come before the current king?
Want to add an extra layer to the event? Spend some time reading about the history of the royal family, organise your attendees into groups and hold a quiz. Give the winning team a small prize. This way, you’re adding an element of fun to all the learning.
Host an afternoon tea party
Afternoon tea is a staple of British culture, fitting perfectly with the pomp and pageantry of the King’s Coronation.
Remember, the order of afternoon tea is crucial. So, start with serving up your sandwiches; egg mayonnaise & cress, ham and mustard and tuna mayonnaise work really well here.
Then it’s on to scones and desserts. Here, you could order a cake with Union Jack icing to emphasise the patriotic element of the coronation.
Lemon drizzle slices, Rhubarb & custard scones and Victoria sponge cake are all tasty dessert ideas that you can offer your attendees. Make sure you’ve got plenty of tea ready to serve up to your customers.
Royal bottomless brunch
Now, we don’t quite think they’ll be serving unlimited prosecco at the palace this May. But it’s a time to celebrate. So why not channel the spirit of the royals and throw a good old, all-day bottomless brunch?
There’s room to get a bit cheeky here. Why not offer free King Charles masks on arrival? It’ll make for a fun vibe and give you great social content afterwards.
If you’ve got the budget, you could hire a photo booth. Place some monarch-themed props in there and let your guests go wild.
As we mentioned earlier, the licence fee will be waived on the day. So, you could screen the coronation and make it part of your royal bottomless brunch event.
Brass band performance
The brass bands of England have a long-standing connection with the monarchy. They played for Queen Elizabeth throughout her reign, and they’ll likely play many arrangements throughout the reign of King Charles.
For an event like this, you’d need a suitable space. It could be in a community hall or outdoors as part of a larger event. Once you’ve secured that, you’re set. The brass band will be adept at picking a setlist, and they’ll probably have a repertoire to draw from when playing at events like this.
Combine it all with a day festival
A day festival can be a great way of combining lots of these event types.
With events like this, you can set up different stalls, offer activities for the whole family, host live music and have a range of food and drink options available.
Your main section could be a live stream of the coronation. Then, you could have a brass band playing at a set time or throughout the day. In between, your food and drink stalls can appeal to adults, while traditional games and craft stalls can keep the children entertained.
Or, you could hold it on the Bank Holiday Monday. You wouldn’t be able to stream the coronation, of course. However, people will still be celebrating, so it’s a way to honour the events that will take place on the weekend.
Got a question you need an answer to? Give us a call on 03333010301 or ask us a question over on the Skiddle Promoter Twitter account by clicking or tapping on the button below. Alternatively, you can also find a list of our most frequently asked questions over at https://help.promotioncentre.co.uk/
