Exmouth Town Council are delighted to be joining in with the national celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, in the lead up to and over the bank holiday weekend from 2-5 June 2022.

The Jubilee Beacon Trail
First up is the town-wide Beacon trail which will run from 30th April to 12th June. Exmouth Town Council will be installing The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Beacon Trail, an augmented reality trail located at seven stops around the Town Centre. Each stop will feature a QR code displayed in a window, which, when scanned, allow participants to ‘collect’ a character on the trail map, see them in augmented reality, and learn more about the story of the Queen’s reign as well as local events relating to each decade. More information about the Beacon Trail will follow shortly.

The Jubilee Beacon Lighting
On Thursday 2nd June, The Platinum Jubilee Beacons will be the first community event of the four-day Jubilee Weekend. The Jubilee Beacons will provide an opportunity for communities and people throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, UK Overseas Territories and the Commonwealth, to come together to celebrate this historic milestone.

Thousands of town criers, along with Pearly Kings and Queens, traditional and Northumberland pipers, buglers and choirs will lift up their voices and play and sing specially commissioned music prior to the lighting of over 1,500 Platinum Jubilee Beacons, at 9.45pm on Thursday 2nd June 2022.

At 2pm the Town Crier will announce a specially-written Proclamation heralding the lighting of the beacons later that evening.

At 9.35pm a local piper, Duncan will play Diu Regnare, a unique tune specially-written for the occasion by Piper Major, Stuart Liddell, the world’s leading piper.

Then at 9.45pm exactly local time, and to coincide with the lighting of the beacons, community choirs across all nations will sing Song for the Commonwealth, which has been written and composed by Lucy Keily, from Australia, and Vincent Atueyi Chinemelu, from Nigeria.

Jubilee Celebration Day at Exmouth Festival
On Sunday 5th June as part of the annual Exmouth Festival, there will be a Jubilee Celebration Day from 12pm on the Imperial Recreation Ground. It will be free to access with a £5 or more donation encouraged.

Once on site you can join in with The Big Jubilee Lunch by bringing a picnic blanket and purchasing tasty treats from one of our local traders (or you can bring your own). Exmouth Festival will provide a wide range of entertainment to keep the whole family engaged.

You can collaborate with community artist Hayley Watson and create Exmouth’s Greatest Masterpiece! The festival will provide all the materials, you just bring your creativity. Over in The Big Top you can try your hand at a variety of circus skill workshops including hula hooping, balancing, juggling and plate spinning. At 3pm Devon-based Scratchworks Theatre Company will be re-telling the Grimm stories, with a marvellous mix of live music, singing & comedy in The Grimm Sisters (BSL interpreted). On the main stage there will be a range of live music from 12pm-5pm, including SW Comms Band, La Vie En Rose, All Jazzed Up, as well as local community groups Exmouth Acapella and Exmouth Youth Theatre. The Jubilee Celebration Day has been made possible by National Lottery Awards For All funding.

Councillor Steve Gazzard, Mayor of Exmouth, said: “We are all really excited to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and our plans in Exmouth are really shaping up so that there is something for everyone.”

Councillor Joy Whipps, Chair of Festival and Events working party, said: “We are so pleased to be able to hold events again and by incorporating the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations with Exmouth Festival, we hope to make this year very special. We hope you can join us over the bank holiday weekend and show your support by donating in our collection buckets. These generous donations enable these free events to take place.”

For more information on the Jubilee celebrations please contact Exmouth Town Council by email at reception@exmouth.gov.uk or telephone 01395 276167.

Updated: 14th April 2022