The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II will be marking her Diamond Jubilee – 60 years on the throne. We’ll be joining the celebrations in Solihull and hope you can too.
Jubilee events
Over the central Jubilee weekend of 2nd-5th June, there is plenty of family fun to be in the borough.
The town’s first Jazz and Blues festival will take place in Solihull town centre from Friday 1st - Monday 4th June. More details can be found on the Visit Solihull website.
- On Saturday 2 June in Mell Square there will be a day of Jubilee Family Fun, with Jubilee crafts, Jubilee-themed face painting, street entertainment, Sea Rangers and more.
- A Diamond Jubilee themed Music in the Park event will be in Shirley Park on Sunday 3rd June from 2pm-4.15pm. The event is free and anyone attending is also encouraged to bring a picnic and take part in the Big Jubilee Lunch
- On Tuesday 5th June there will be a Jubilee street party in Library Square, Solihull town centre. On offer throughout the day will be food, entertainment and art workshops for children. More details are on the Solihull Arts Complex website.
There are also the following events aimed at young children:
- On Wednesday 6th June in Meriden Park from 11am-1pm there will be a Royal-themed Teddy Bears’ Picnic and craft activity.
- On Thursday 7th June in Malvern Park from 11am-2.30pm there will be a Kings and Queens garden party, with treasure trail, fancy dress and a craft activity.
More information can be found in our free park events guide, which is available for download from our events page.
Flying the Flag
Did you know there is a correct and an incorrect way to fly the Union Flag? This is because the flag is not symmetrical. To fly the Union Flag the correct way up, the broad portion of the white cross of St Andrew (the diagonal white cross) should be above the red diagonal band of St Patrick, with the thin white portion below – assuming the hoist of the flag is to the left. This is sometimes known by the phrases ‘wide white top’ and ‘broad side up’.
If the thicker portion of the white diagonal cross is below the red diagonal band, then the flag is being flown upside down. Traditionally, flying a flag upside down is a sign of distress – and we certainly hope your Jubilee celebrations won’t cause you to want to fly your Union Flag this way!
Street parties
In 2011, Solihull was the street party capital of the West Midlands as the nation celebrated the Royal Wedding. We’d love to see the same happen in 2012, which is why the Council won’t be charging for community-led events that require temporary road closures.
If you want to host a street party for the Diamond Jubilee you do still need to apply, and this application should be with us by 5pm on Monday 14th May. Any applications received after this date will be processed wherever they can be, but in some instances this may not be possible.
Find out how to apply and lots more information on the street parties page of our website.
Find out more
More information of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations can be found on the British Monarchy website.