london information / events in london in june

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

June - events in london in June

What: Open Air Theatre Season, Regent's Park: 'London’s best-appointed summer venue' (according to The Times), relax with a cool glass of wine, soak up the long summer evenings, and enjoy the unique magic of watching a show as the sun sets behind the trees. Watch performances of A Midsummer's Nights Dream, Henry IV Part One, Camelot and a childrens play (for 2005 it is The Wind in the Willows), plus exclusive one-off performances from some of the country’s finest musicians and comedians.
When: Begining June to middle September, matinee and evening performances (see the website below for times and dates).
Where: The open air theatre in the Inner Circle of Regent's Park.
Station: Baker Street
Tickets: See the website below. Seats cost from £10 - £30 each (2005)
Website: openairtheatre.org

What: Coronation Day Gun Salutes: celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, 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: 2nd June, however, gun salutes are not fired on Sundays, so if the 2nd 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

What: Beating Retreat Parade: Originally, Beating Retreat was sounded at the end of the days warfighting, ordering the lowering of the Colours, mounting of the Guard and a return to camp for the night. Today the 'retreat' is a military spectacle of pomp, pageantry, sound and colour, and one of the highlights of the ceremonial season. The retreat is beaten on drums by the mounted bands of the Household Cavalry and the massed bands of the Guards Division in this colorful musical ceremony.
When: usually Wednesday and Thursday of the first week in June from 19:00.
Where: Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall, SW1
Station: Charing Cross or Westminster
Tickets: (2005) £10.00 or £7.00 each. See the website below for how to buy.
Website: army.mod.uk

What: Stella Artois Tennis Championship: The mens warm up to wimbledon. The world's top seeded players battle it out in this exhilarating week long grass court competition at Queen's Club. In 2003 three of the four wimbledon semi finalists played this tounament.
When: Monday - Sunday two weeks before Wimbledon
Where: Queens Club, Palliser Road, W14 9EG
Station: Barons Court in west London (Piccadilly and District lines)
Tickets: (2005) see the website below. Ground admission tickets cost £12.00 and at least 600 (slightly less than 10% of the total allocation) are available on the day. If you want centre court tickets, they sell out early, so you need to plan months in advance.
Website: stellaartoistennis.com

What: Prince Phillip's Birthday Gun Salutes: celebrating Prince Phillip'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: 10th June, however, gun salutes are not fired on Sundays, so if the 10th 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

What: Queen's Official Birthday Gun Salutes: celebrating the Queen's official birthday, there is a 41-gun salute at 11:00 in Green Park and a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London, held at 13:00. (Although The Queen was born on 21 April, it has long been customary to celebrate the Sovereign's birthday publicly on a day in the summer, when better weather is better. It is not on the same date each year, rather the same day - the second Saturday in June).
When: the second Saturday in June
Where: Green Park and the Tower of London
Station: Hyde Park Corner and Tower Hill

(You may have noticed that it is possible for the Queen's official birthday to be on the same day as Prince Phillip's birthday. What happens then? They double up. There is a 84 gun salute in Hyde park and a 124 gun salute at the Tower!)

What: Trooping the Colour: The trooping the colour is a millitary marching ceremony by the massed bands and troops of the Household Division, the 'personal troops' of the monarch. The ceremony, dating from the time of Charles II in 1750, celebrates the Queen's official birthday. Over 1400 officers and men are on parade, together with two hundred horses. More than four hundred musicians from ten bands and corps of drums march and play as one. After the event, the queen returns to Buckingham Palace by the same route and the royal family gathers on the balcony of the palace to watch an RAF flypast at 13:00.
What is an 'official birthday'?: Although The Queen was born on 21 April, it has long been customary to celebrate the Sovereign's birthday publicly on a day in the summer, when better weather is better. It is not on the same date each year, rather the same day - the second Saturday in June.
When: the second Saturday in June. The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace at 10:40 and progresses down The Mall to Horse Guards Parade, arriving at 11:00. The parade on horse guards lasts around an hour and a half. After the parade the queen returns via the same route to Buckingham Palace and the royal family gathers on the balcony of the palace to watch an RAF flypast at 13:00.
Where: Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall, SW1. If you haven't managed to get a ticket in the stands, arrive early for a good view. The best spots are on the Green Park side of The Mall. Alternatively you can watch the two official rehearsals (on the proceeding two Saturdays, at the same time as the real thing). The first of these is free. Another favourite is to watch the royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at 13:00.
Station: Charing Cross or Westminster
Tickets: (2004) The first rehearsal is free (you still need a ticket to be in the stands), the second costs £8 a ticket and the third £16 a ticket (maximum 3 tickets per application). Applications should be made to: Brigade Major, HQ Household Division, Horse Guards, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2AX. Enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
Website: army.mod.uk

What: Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships: the top tennis players from all over the world come to london to compete for one of the grand slam competitions - and one of the most coveted and prestigious titles of the tennis world. Apply for tickets well in advance (you go into a 'ballot, with tickets offered to those lucky applicants picked receiving tickets). For the first week and part of the second week you can still get in even if you don't have tickets, if you're prepared to wait in line. Some people camp out on the pavement, but if you head over in the late afternoon the queue is usually quite short and (depending on the weather) you should see plenty of tennis.
When: For two weeks from a Monday in Late June to a Sunday at the being of June (2004 dates were (21 June - 4 July).
Tickets: Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships, Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis Club, PO Box 98, Church Road, SW19
Where: Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships Wimbledon Championships, Wimbledon
All England Lawn Tennis Club, PO Box 98, Church Road, SW19
Station: Southfields / Wimbledon underground stations

Royal Tournament: the annual display by the armed forces which takes place at Earls Court in June or July. One of the performances is normally attended by the Queen.

Taste of London: an exhibition that brings together London's finest restaurants and London's famous chefs joining the food and drink producers. You can wander from expert to expert and devour the wares. There is also a wine theatre for tasting the vino.