Platinum Jubilee beacons: How many will be lit in honour of the Queen?

Tom Parfitt
·SEO Editor, Yahoo UK
Updated ·2-min read

Watch: Jubilee celebrations day by day

Thousands of beacons will be lit in a spectacular display to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The network of flaming tributes will stretch across the UK and the Commonwealth, as the monarch celebrates 70 years on the throne.

Here is everything you need to know about the jubilee beacons, including how to see them.

Where are the jubilee beacons being lit?

More than 3,000 beacons will be set ablaze on Thursday, 2 June, to kick off four days of Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

For the first time, beacons will be lit in all 54 Commonwealth capitals, spanning five continents.

The first beacons will be lit in Tonga and Samoa in the South Pacific, and the final one in the central American country of Belize.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 04: Clergy and volunteers of Westminster Abbey and their guests watch a beacon they had lit moments before burn outside the Abbey as part of Diamond Jubilee celebrations on June 4, 2012 in London, England. All across the globe 4,150 beacons were lit in Commonwealth countries in honour of Queen Elizabeth II. For only the second time in its history, the UK celebrates the Diamond Jubilee of a monarch. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrates the 60th anniversary of her ascension to the throne. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
More than 3,000 beacons will be set ablaze to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

In the UK, beacons will be located at landmarks including Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Windsor Great Park and Hillsborough Castle.

They will also be illuminated at the Queen's estates of Sandringham and Balmoral, and on top of the UK's four highest peaks.

To find your nearest beacon event, enter your postcode on the official Platinum Jubilee website and use the interactive map.

What is the meaning behind the beacons?

The lighting of beacons is a long-standing tradition at royal events such as jubilees, weddings and coronations.

They were previously lit in 1977, 2002 and 2012 to celebrate the Queen's Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees, as well as her 90th birthday in 2016.

Read more: How to watch Trooping the Colour

The event's official website states that beacon chains have "become a symbol of unity across towns, borders, countries and continents".

When is the Buckingham Palace beacon being lit?

The principal beacon will be outside Buckingham Palace, in the form of a spectacular 21-metre tall Tree of Trees sculpture, on Thursday evening.

It will be illuminated by a senior member of the Royal Family, who is yet to be named, and images will be projected on to the Palace.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 24: A team of workers add the final parts to the Queen's Green Canopy ahead of the Platinum Jubilee on May 24, 2022 in London, England. The sculpture, which will stand outside Buckingham Palace for the duration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, was created by British designer Thomas Heatherwick's studio, Heatherwick Studio. It consists of 350 native British trees planted in aluminium pots, which will be donated to community groups after the Jubilee celebrations. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The spectacular 'Tree of Trees' sculpture outside Buckingham Palace. (Getty Images)

The special event will be broadcast on BBC One from 8pm, with coverage hosted by Kirsty Young.

American musician Gregory Porter will lead a performance of a specially composed song, A Life Lived With Grace, alongside the London Community Gospel Choir.

The new song, written by Lucy Kiely from Australia and composed by Vincent Atuyei Chinemelu from Nigeria, won the Commonwealth Resounds Competition.

It will be performed by choirs across all 54 Commonwealth countries.

Grammy-winning singer Porter said: "I am so excited to be part of this important celebration of the lighting of thousands of beacons across the UK and the Commonwealth."

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