Beacons to light up West Northants for Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Northampton will light up to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a number of Beacon Lighting Ceremonies kicking off the Bank Holiday Weekend.

Beacons will be lit simultaneously across the county at 9.45pm on Thursday, 2 June in events organised by West Northants Council (WNC), Brackley Town Council and Towcester Town Council to mark the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.

Northampton Lift Tower will be lit up in red, white and blue as part of a special ceremony taking place at the Northampton Saints Rugby Ground with a performance of the song for the Commonwealth, ‘A Life Lived with Grace’, sung by a local choir.

In addition, Beacons will be lit in Brackley, Towcester and Daventry - with a Platinum Jubilee Festival taking place at Brackley Rugby Club and sustainable virtual lighting events planned at Towcester Recreation Ground and the Council Offices on Lodge Road, Daventry.

The Beacons will be among over 2,022 being lit across the UK and the Commonwealth by charities, communities and faith groups, and form part of the official programme announced by Buckingham Palace for the Jubilee Weekend.

A Principal Beacon lighting will also take place in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Thursday evening which will take the form of a lighting installation with The Queen’s Green Canopy ’Tree of Trees’ sculpture and projections onto the front of Buckingham Palace. 

Bruno Peek LVO OBE OPR, Pageantmaster of The Queen’s Jubilee Platinum Beacons, said: “Building on a long tradition of lighting beacons to mark significant royal celebrations, thousands of beacons will be lit across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. They will enable local communities to join together to pay tribute to Her Majesty as part of the official programme of events.”

HM Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, James Saunders Watson, said: “We are proud to be part of this momentous celebration and invite communities across Northamptonshire to join us in commemorating Her Majesty, The Queen’s 70th year as our Monarch and Head of the Commonwealth on her Platinum Jubilee. 

“It is only appropriate that we mark this unique milestone in history with beacons and music, and I am pleased that like Buckingham Palace, we have been able to incorporate innovative virtual events into our celebrations which reflect the Royal Family’s longstanding commitment to environmental causes and sustainability.”

Find out more information on Platinum Jubilee events happening in West Northants.