london information / events in london in april

This is a list of the things that happen every year in april in central london. The list is in date order:

April - events in london in April

What: Maundy Thursday - the Ceremony of the Royal Maundy. This ceremony, held at one of England's great cathedrals, involves the distribution of Maundy Money to deserving senior citizens (one man and one woman for each year of the sovereign's age), usually chosen for having done service to their community. They receive ceremonial red and white purses which contain coins made especially for the occasion. The white purse contains one coin for each year of the monarch's reign. The red purse contains money in place of other gifts that used to be given to the poor.
When: the Thursday before Easter
Where: Until the reign of the present Queen, all Maundy ceremonies took place in London. On her accession, the Queen decided that the service should take place at a different cathedral every year, chosen from throughout the country (in 2002 it was in Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, in 2003 in Gloucester Cathedral and in 2004 it was in Liverpool Cathedral). It does come back to London quite often though.

What: Easter Weekend: in the UK Easter is a celebrated with, amongst other things, a long weekend. The friday before easter (good friday) and the monday after easter (easter monday) are 'bank holidays'. These are statutory holidays. Those things that are open offer a very restricted service (often hours or services similar to those operated on a Sunday).

What: British Summertime begins: from 2002 the UK summer time has been linked to that of Europe permanently (historically has not been the case). This means that the clocks change (go forward one hour) at 1 am on Easter Sunday.

What: London Harness Horse Parade: the annual harness horse parade brings together over 300 of the worlds finest commercial and private horses and cart - from traditional brewers drays or ornate carriages - to compete for coveted rosettes.
When: Easter Monday 09:00 - 14:00
Where: Battersea Park
Station: Battersea (or you can walk to it from Sloane Square)

What: London Marathon: A 26-mile race through the streets of London is one of the great events of the running world. It attracts top runners from all over the world. The race starts in Greenwich and Blackheath between 09:00 and 09:30 and finishes in The Mall, with the route as a whole designed to follow the Thames as closely as possible and finish in the heart of the capital.
When: usually Second or Third sunday in April (in 2005 it will be 17th April)
Where: from Greenwich Park to The Mall via Surrey Quays, Tooley Street, Canary Wharf, Tower of London, Embankment, Parliament Square and Birdcage Walk.
Station: depends where you want to be. Green Park for the end, Greenwich or Blackheath Station train station for the begriming and lots in between, but tower bridge is a good place to watch. See the website below.
Website: london-marathon.co.uk

What: Queens Birthday Gun Salutes: celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's birthday, there is a 41-gun salute at 12:00 in Hyde Park and a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London, held at 13:00.
When: 21st April, however, gun salutes are not fired on Sundays, so if the 21st falls on a Sunday, the salute will take place the next day.
Where: Hyde Park (opposite the Dorchester Hotel in Park Lane) and the Tower of London
Station: Hyde Park Corner and Tower Hill