Brits paint the town red, white and blue as they party into the night to celebrate coronation
BRITS got into the party spirit last night and painted the town red, white and blue as they celebrated the coronation of King Charles.
Revellers hit the pubs and clubs across the country to raise a glass to the king and queen and party into the early hours.
Royal-themed attire and Union flags were the order of the day for many party goers as they went out in force in cities such as Leeds, Newcastle and Liverpool.
Two pals celebrated in Newcastle with a Union flag with King Charles’ face on it.
Another woman in the same city got into the party spirit, matching her black dress with a tiny crown and waved a flag.
A group of five women kicked up their heels in Birmingham as they danced in the street.
Another woman, also in England’s second city hit the town in style, wearing a PVC Union Jack costume with red boots and carrying two flags.
Over in Leeds, revellers even wore fancy dress and added masks of King Charles for their big night out.
A lad in Liverpool out on his stag do got dressed up in a crown and gold shorts while keeping himself warm with a red cape.
Many parts of the UK were hit by rain and wet conditions although this didn’t seem to extinguish the party spirit.
Newcastle stayed dry though and temperatures remained in the mid teens.
Anyone who may have over-indulged last night will hopefully have recovered in time to take part in one of the many street parties planned for later today and the big concert tonight held in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The King and Queen will join around 20,000 members of the public at the coronation concert where, along with other family members, they will see performances by Take That, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.
Singers Perry and Richie were among the stars at Saturday’s coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey.
The show in Windsor, hosted by Paddington and Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville, will see Hollywood star Tom Cruise, Dynasty actress Dame Joan Collins, adventurer Bear Grylls and singer Sir Tom Jones appear via video message.
The series of pre-recorded sketches will reveal little-known facts about the monarch and will also include moments from beloved literary figure Winnie the Pooh – seemingly echoing the famous moment Paddington Bear drank tea with the Queen during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
There will also be performances by Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, veteran rock guitarist Steve Winwood, and Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls.
Classical acts including Andrea Bocelli, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel and Chinese pianist Lang Lang will perform too.
The Royal Ballet, the Royal Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal College of Music and the Royal College of Art will come together for the first time to create a one-off performance featuring Sex Education and Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa and Olivier Award nominee Mei Mac.
Ahead of the show on Sunday evening, thousands of street parties are expected to be held with people encouraged to come together across the country for the Coronation Big Lunch.
Meanwhile, as part of the Coronation Concert, choreographed lasers, projections and drone displays will radiate over historic bridges and buildings.
Seven of the 10 locations involved in the event, Lighting up the Nation, have been disclosed so far, including Blackpool seafront in Lancashire, where people can join a viewing party from Blackpool Tower.
Sheffield Town Hall will showcase a display in the Peace Gardens, while Newcastle’s Tyne Bridge and Gateshead’s Millennium Bridge lights will cast riverside reflections for an audience stretching between the quays.
A drone show will light up the sky above the Eden Project in Cornwall, and its biomes will become multicoloured for spectators invited from the local volunteer community.
Light shows will also brighten up Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff at various locations.
The remaining three locations will be revealed during the concert.